Sunshine, Lollipops, and Shadows
by shadowsnowleopard
Summary: Three days. Will Solace and Nico di Angelo. Need I say more? Extended into the school year later on.
1. The First Step

**Okay this is my own take on Solangelo. I've been wanting to write one for a while and now I'm finally doing it, so yay! Well I hope you like it so far.**

 **Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to Rick Riordan**

 **Nico POV**

Three days. I could handle three days right? I mean it's only 72 hours. Oh gods, what was I thinking agreeing to this. I mean Will couldn't actually like me right? I'm… me. Who would want me around. He's probably just making sure I'm in good health after the whole Athena Parthenos fiasco. I stood on the top step of the Big House porch. My heart began racing. I could see Will through the window tending to someone's arm. His silky blond hair and those bright blue eyes. Will glanced up through the window and spotted me. He raised his hand in a half wave. Nope. I couldn't do this.

I took a step back. That was a big mistake. I tumbled down the stairs in the least discreet way possible. By the time I reached the bottom my left shoulder felt like it was on fire. I cried out in pain. And just my luck- Will was the one to answer.

 **Will POV**

Nico finally came to after initially passing out when I relocated his shoulder and bandaged him up.

"My knight in shining armor," Nico said sarcastically. "Look- I'm fine. Now if you'll excuse me I'll just be going back to my cabin."

Nico tossed his legs off the bed and tried to hide the grimace of pain.

"Not so fast Sunshine. You dislocated your shoulder. This is serious," I told him. "Now sit back down. Doctor's orders."

I poked him in the chest, forcing him down. Nico groaned but sat back on the bed.

"Now," I continued, "As I remember, you owe me three days in here. That starts now."

I hung Nico's clipboard above his bed and tugged the curtains shut as I left.

I smiled to myself.

Nico was absolutely right. He was perfectly cleared to go. His shoulder was mending and there was no reason for him to stay here. But he didn't know that.

I'd been waiting for him to come visit me for days, each day losing a little more hope.

Finally I confronted him. On the outside I might've actually cool, **(A/N sorry I had to- I thought it was funny)** but on the inside I was a complete wreck. What if he refused? What if he agreed and never showed up? What if he doesn't like you?

 _He has to at least give me a chance,_ I told myself, _right?_

Then I saw him at the top of the stairs. Mere yards from me. The only thing in between us was a window. Heart thumping faster in my chest, I raised my hand in a half wave.

 _Stupid. Stupid. What was that? You've probably scared him off._ I chastised myself.

Seconds later I heard a thump and by the time I looked up and out the window all I saw was a foot flying through the air.

I was out the door before Nico could cry out in pain.

His eyes widened at the sight of me and he sucked in a sharp breath when I reached down and touched him. I meant to help him up, but I got lost in his deep brown eyes. For once his hair was pushed back instead of covering them.

 _Snap out of it. He probably doesn't like you. How could someone so powerful and mysterious fall for you,_ I thought.

Nico complained that he was fine all the way through the examination, but by the direction his arm was bent my medical experience had to say otherwise.

I made Nico lay down and tighten his grip on a squishy ball. Bracing one hand on his upper arm and the other on his shoulder blade I gazed at Nico's face. He had complete faith in me.

"This is going to hurt a lot," I told him quickly.

"Wait- what?" Nico asked, his head jerking up in surprise.

Before he had a chance to say another word I jammed his shoulder back in place.

Nico shouted and his other arm reacted by punching me. Not on purpose though. I hoped.

I doubled over gasping for breath.

As soon as the initial shock was gone he went into a daze. And then he passed out. I finished wrapping his shoulder and immobilizing his arm.

He looked so innocent while sleeping. I just couldn't help myself; I leaned forward and pushed his hair aside, and then pecked him on the forehead.

 **Sorry for the short chapter, but I have a thing about keeping the chapters in a story the same length and I figured if the chapters were a bit shorter then I would update them more often. Hopefully I'll do so soon. Any suggestions?**


	2. Things Are Heating Up

**New chapter! Hope you like it! And thanks to BlackNoblesse for suggesting ideas for this chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to Rick Riordan**

 **Nico POV**

So far I had survived seven hours, Of course five of them were spent in a light sleep. And another one was spent pretending to sleep. The last one was mainly just watching Will through the curtains.

Every time he came into view it was like the Fates were stretching my lifeline.

I caught him staring at me once and it felt as though my heart were being squeezed. Why couldn't I tell him. Just a few simple words.

Will. I like you. A lot.

Not telling him would probably cause more pain than telling him. The rejection would sting at first, but I've been used to being unwanted. I'd simply run again. This time I was thinking Minnesota. Somewhere north and cold. Away from both camps. Alone again.

I was getting ahead of myself. There was no reason to tell Solace right away. It would have to be soon though. Otherwise I'd trick myself into caring for someone who will never care for me the same way. Again.

Sixty-five more hours. If I kept beating myself up like this there was no way I was going to last that long.

The curtain surrounding my bed shifted, revealing Will in a surgeon's shirt, jeans, and flip flops. Who knew that could be so hot.

"I've got a present for you for being such a good patient," Will said walking up something behind his back.

"And what might that be?" I asked.

"Ta-da!" Will said, proudly showing off a lollipop.

This wasn't one of those small ones you'd get on Halloween. It was huge and swirly. But what got to me most was the color. An annoyingly bright rainbow of colors.

And I loved it.

The last time somebody had done something like this for me it was my sister Bianca. She had bought me a peppermint stick in this small candy store in D.C. We were alone but she had tried to make me feel better, figuring it would help.

I looked up at Will. He had this big smile plastered on his face.

Before I could say thank you however, someone walked in holding her wrist. I recognized Lacy from the Aphrodite cabin. Will placed the lollipop on my bedside table and went to go help the daughter of the love goddess.

I couldn't handle this. Will was too handsome and nice and handsome. I was falling for him. I couldn't be rejected again as I had been so many times before. By both camps. By Percy. By Bianca. Will would be the last straw.

I made a split second decision and hopped out of bed, running barefoot towards the door. To do this though I had to run past Will who caught around the waist from behind and raised me in the air.

My breath caught for a moment. Will's arms were wrapped around my body. How long had I waited for this. But it was not the right situation. We were not together. Tears threatened to spill from my eyes.

I kicked but not hard because I didn't want to hurt him.

He refused to let go though.

 **Will POV**

I kept a tight hold on Nico's waist and held him in the air.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" I said

"I am the son of Hades! You cannot hold me prisoner in here!" Nico shouted, turning the heads of the rest of the people in the infirmary.

"Think again sunshine. I'm the head of this infirmary and you're not going anywhere," I whispered in his ear.

Nico went limp in my arms. I placed him back on the floor, picked him up bridal style, and brought him back to his bed at the other end of the room.

Nico's dark hair stuck to his head in a thin sheen of sweat. He face looked flushed and those dark eyes fluttered as he tried to stay awake.

"Kayla! Can you finish up with Lacy!" I called over my shoulder.

I heard a muffled 'sure' in response.

I rested my hand on Nico's forehead.

"One-hundred point two. You've got a fever," I said before writing that on his clipboard.

"How did you do that?" Nico asked in a slightly slurred voice.

"How does Percy have perfect bearings at sea?" I asked in return. "It's a son of the medicine god thing. It could be a result of infection."

"The hand thermometer thing?" Nico said.

"No, the fever," I said. "More likely though it's from the lack of sleep and the battle. And you've already had too much ambrosia and nectar today so we can't risk any more of that. I guess we'll have to result to mortal methods. Rest and fluids. Doctor's orders."

Nico groaned before falling into a deep, fever-induced sleep.

 **Again, sorry for writing short chapters, but I'll be updating frequently. Well, when I can. I wrote this while avoid school work. Suggestions?**


	3. In Your Dreams

**Sorry for not updating last night. I was having a party. Wait did that sound cool? Okay I'm going to ruin it. It was a movie party with six people watching Star Wars. Not Star** _ **Trek**_ **. Star** _ **Wars**_ **. And it failed miserably. I was the only one actually watching it by the end. Anyway, here's the next chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to Rick Riordan**

 **Nico POV**

All I perceived was darkness. That's all I could see and if darkness was a sound then that's all I could hear. My senses were numb. I had just come out of the most awful dream. It's was back when Percy had told me Bianca was dead, but instead of Bianca it was Will. He was the one who had sacrificed himself. No. I couldn't handle it. Finally it ended, leaving me in darkness for a long time.

The darkness ended after what seemed like hours.

I opened my eyes to see Will's gorgeous face. He was pressing a cool cloth against my face. Outside the sun was high above.

I had to let Will know how pretty his face was though.

"Ya know Will," I mumbled. "Your face is gorgeous."

His eyebrows rose in surprise and a smile crossed his face, but before I could hear his response shadows closed in from the sides once more.

The next time I woke up it was dark outside and a ton of stars glittered in the sky. Everything was quiet, but you could hear the monsters and crickets from the woods. Cool breezes blew in from the open windows.

I turned my head on the pegasus down pillow and saw Will. He was asleep in a hard wooden chair and his arms and head lay on my bed. Someone had thought to put a blanket on him at some point at least.

He slept so soundly that I didn't want to do anything to wake him up.

Silently I brushed my fingers through his wavy, golden hair.

When the darkness started to close in again I placed my hand atop Will's.

 **Will POV**

I woke up to find Nico's hand resting on mine. It had to be a coincidence. He probably just shifted in his sleep. Either way I didn't want to move. I wanted this moment to last forever.

Sadly enough it couldn't. I had to get back to my job, and Nico was doing well enough that he could be on his own for some time.

I tried to busy myself with other work. The constant stream of people with scrapes and burns. The occasional sprain. Updating anyone who was hurt in the battle, which was everyone, but only the most serious cases still required attention.

It was never long before my thoughts circled back to Nico though.

His mysterious bad boy persona made him appear as sad, lost little puppy in my eyes.

There was no way he could live through life as a loner, constantly moving from place to place. Never having any friends. I wanted so desperately to give him a hug. To give him a reason to stay.

I closed my eyes, ignoring the storage room around me and the bundles of bandages in my arms.

 _Flashback_

 _Suddenly I was back in the Second Giant War, peeking out from behind Half-Blood Hill in order to spy on the enemy._

 _Six onagers spanned their attack force and small groups of demigods swam in an ocean of monstrous creatures._

 _This was going to be a tough battle._

 _That's when the shadows pulled together and solidified into the striking form of Nico di Angelo. He stood there like a real life angel on the edge of collapse. Yet the shadows were gathering up around him again. I couldn't stand by and do nothing._

 _End of Flashback_

The bandages fell from my arms. I couldn't just let him up and leave again. If Nico di Angelo left my life I don't know what I'd do. But how could I tell him that. How could I tell the boy that wraps his heart in armor to keep it from being broken again that I love him.

 **Was that mushy enough for people? Hopefully, because I'm not too good at mushy. Anyway, not sure when my next update will be. Soon I guess. But no promises. Suggestions?**


	4. The Return of Repair Boy

**HELLO AGAIN. Whoops. Capslock. Hello again. Chapter four right on time. Nothing new. Other than the chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to Rick Riordan**

 **Nico POV**

The next time I fell asleep I was doped up on nectar and ambrosia, which lead to weird dreams involving gods know what. Somehow though, I ended up in a dream with Will.

Everything was perfect. We were holding hands as we walked along the beach and stared at the sunset over Long Island Sound. We stopped and looked at each other. And Will leaned in for a kiss. I closed my eyes and leaned towards him. Just before the kiss though I woke up to a little Hispanic boy with elfish ears and curly hair.

"Leo?" I said tentatively.

"Never thought you'd see me again did you death breath?" Leo asked, smirking.

Standing directly behind him was a beautiful (for a female) girl with almond shaped eyes and cinnamon colored hair. And behind her stood the rest of my friends. Minus Reyna, Hazel, and Frank who had returned to Camp Jupiter.

"No offense, but I thought you were dead," I told him.

"Eh. It takes a lot more than a little explosion and a dirt goddess to kill me," Leo joked.

"The Apollo cabin called him a freaking miracle," Percy said from the back of the group, "Honestly, I'm not convinced."

Percy poked Leo's arm tentatively as if it might go through. Leo retaliated by swatting Percy's hand away. A small group of Apollo medics stood off to the side staring at Leo and writing down notes on clipboards as they whispered to each other.

"Scatter!" Leo shouted, "I already told you I'd answer any questions you have _later_."

"Speaking of which," I said, "Why are you here?"

"To visit you of course my slowly dying friend," he joked.

"Leo!" Calypso and Piper shouted at the same time, but only Piper smacked him upside the head.

Leo muttered a sorry and rubbed his head.

"What I'm more interested in though," Leo said while laughing, "Is what you were dreaming about, because I don't know what exactly you were doing in your sleep. Only that it's going to go viral on YouTube."

I blushed and shifted my gaze away.

"Ah," he said with a devious grin, "So it's a someone. A lady perhaps."

Someone in the crowd coughed a little. Jason stepped forward and whispered something in Leo's ear. Fortunately, Leo's smile didn't waver one bit. He just raised his eyebrow.

"Or a particular gentleman," he continued.

I was particularly aware that my blush deepened.

Will wasn't close by though, so nothing was revealed.

My visitors lingered for a while, goofing off and talking to each other. It almost felt normal. Leo even told me his story from the point Gaea exploded. That boy went through a lot. For the first time in a long time, a smile on my face stayed there.

 **Will POV**

I noticed when Nico's friends arrived, but I couldn't make myself go over and talk to them. So instead I watched awkwardly from other points in the room: the door to the storage closet, the front door, my checkups. There was no way to stop thinking about him.

I passed the group when moving a box of ambrosia and saw Jason and Percy holding out their swords in a mock fight.

"Ah, ah, ah," I corrected, "I won't have weapons in my infirmary."

"Sorry Will," they said in unison.

Nico just smirked at the situation. My heart thumped louder. I sighed inwardly.

Once I reached the storeroom I put the box of ambrosia on top of a stack of fresh sheets. This time sighing out loud, I leaned against the shelves and slid down, sitting on the floor with my head on my knees.

Pulling a small knife out I looked up at the finish job of the wooden shelves.

Subconsciously, I began to carve a little heart with **W + N** in the center.

 **Was that a good chapter? As for updates- I'm sorry but I can't update tomorrow because I won't have a chapter ready since my school unfortunately gives a lot of homework. But I will get one by Thursday. Promise.**


	5. The Wolf Strikes Back

**Chapter 5 for those who are counting. Not me of course. This chapter has a lot of dialogue, but ends on a good note, so I hope you enjoy it. And sorry about the chapter name. I watched Star Wars and thought the chapter name I came up with was funny.**

 **Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to Rick Riordan**

 **Will POV**

"Can I go now Solace?" Nico asked me impatiently.

"No," I answered.

"Come on," he whined, "I'm perfectly fine."

"Not until I find out what caused that fever. From the symptoms I would guess an infection, but where would it come from," I questioned.

"Are you asking me or that clipboard?" Nice said sarcastically.

I looked up from my clipboard that had notes and arrows covering it.

Nico's eyes glistened in the afternoon light and his raven hair was sticking up in random places. He stood up and pulled his patient shirt off in order to change back into his own clothes, revealing toned abs that made me emit a soft squeak. Before Nico could notice I tried to move my attention.

That's when I noticed the deep red cuts on his upper arms barely held closed by hastily sewn thread.

"What are those Nico?" I asked worriedly.

He mumbled a response.

"Speak up," I said.

"Werewolf claw marks," Nico murmured a bit louder.

The skin around the claw marks was shiny and red, looking as if the area wasn't healing very well. Then again injuries from werewolves tend to take a long time to heal, but these seemed worse than the few werewolf lacerations I'd witnessed before.

I felt as if a tiny lightbulb had gone off in my head. _Of course!_ I thought.

"Nico I think your cuts are infected," I said.

"What?" he asked.

I put down my clipboard to go find some supplies. It made perfect sense. Nico had gotten hurt on his trip and didn't have time to properly fix his arms. When he was finally open he was used to the pain and thought they would heal on their own.

"Sit back down," I ordered Nico before disappearing into the storage closet.

A muffled 'Aw, come on!' was audible from the other side of the wall.

"Doctor's orders!" I shouted.

Needle, thread, towels, nectar. What was I missing. Oh. Scissors.

As soon I found everything I walked back to Nico and dropped the medical supplies on the bedside table. Now I had everything to fix Nico. The infection might be going away but it was possible that the wounds could become infected again in the future if not properly taken care of.

I sat down next to Nico, momentarily ignoring his perfect body and going into Doctor Mode.

 **Nico POV**

I could see Will's whole attitude change as he sat down next to me.

Soaking one towel in nectar he gently rubbed it over the cuts on my left arm.

"Unicorn drought works better," I mentioned.

He raised an eyebrow but continued to dab.

"I'm just trying to sanitize it before doing anything else," Will said softly, "Now sit still. Doctor's orders."

I couldn't help but squirm as the drink of the gods saturated my cuts. That was probably the least painful part too.

Next, Will cut the thread Reyna had used and carefully took it out. He tugged on it apologetically. I even involuntarily winced a few times. I found that as long as I focused on Will's face as he worked the pain lessened just a bit.

When I felt as though my brain would overload with pain Will knotted the last stitch.

"Wait here," he said before disappearing into the storage closet once more.

I busied myself by watching the other people in the infirmary, though there were only a few, but my thoughts seemed to always circle back to Will and his blue eyes and blond hair. Memories of him taking care of me these past few days flooded back.

And one in particular left me embarrassed.

Will sat down next to me and began to wrap my arms in fresh bandages.

"I said your face was gorgeous when I was under the influence of the fever didn't I," I uttered, mortified.

I refused look up from my clenched hands. I wasn't lying when I said his face was gorgeous, but saying it out loud? And too his face? It's a wonder I didn't die from embarrassment.

"Just a bit," Will answered softly a few long moments later.

He finished wrapping the bandages and looked at me expectantly.

"I'm such an idiot," I whispered.

Will didn't answer. No doubt one fever-induced sentence was enough to turn him away forever.

Then there was a sudden warmth surrounding me. Will had wrapped his arms around me. Will was hugging me.

 **I thought that was a cute ending. Well hopefully you did too. Um. Next chapter hopefully by tomorrow, but if not then by Saturday.**


	6. Everyone Looks Better in Firelight

**I'm back. Does that make you happy? It makes me happy. Can't believe I'm writing so much in such a short period of time. This isn't going to keep going forever though. At some point the updates will get farther apart due to school work and something my friends keep telling me I should get. It's something call 'a life.' Don't know how that's going to work out. Anyway, here's the next chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to Rick Riordan**

 **Nico POV**

I left the infirmary that afternoon with warmth coursing through my veins and my arms tingling. Will hugged me. _Will_ hugged _me_. I smiled widely for the first time in years. Really for the first time since Bianca joined the hunters.

My thoughts were only on one thing though. Or rather one person. Will. _Will_. What were we now? Just friends surely, but still. Will was my friend.

A conch blew in the distance. Was it really that late? I guess so. I made my way to the dining pavilion and sat at the empty Hades table. Tonight it didn't seem so lonely though. Of course I wasn't really focused on food.

Glancing up to find Will, I noticed him staring in my direction. He blushed and turned his attention to the plate in front of him. My cheeks were actually starting to hurt from all the smiling I was doing.

Once dinner was done I followed the crowds as they moved to the campfire. Leo and Calypso sat next to me.

"Since when were you the Cheshire Cat?" Leo joked.

I tried to smother the smile, but inside the warmth remained.

Leo wasn't even really paying attention to me. Currently he was pulling scraps of metal and gears out of his tool belt. The finished product was a small lifelike metal bird that flew out of his hands. It fluttered in the air for a few minutes, flying around to different people.

Suddenly it dive bombed the fire pit and disappeared in the bright colors.

"My bad," Leo said, his eyes wide, "Must have connected the wrong wires. Accidently made it suicidal."

"Leo are you killing innocent animals again?" Percy asked as he, Annabeth, Jason, and Piper took seats in the row behind us.

"Nooooo?" Leo answered.

"Good to see you out of the infirmary Nico," Jason interrupted, trying to stop Leo and Percy from getting into an argument before it started.

"Good to be out of the infirmary," I answered. _Mostly. Because Will's in the infirmary._

"By the way we're planning a counselor's movie night in the rec room next Saturday," Jason told me.

Leo and Percy had gone on in their argument despite Annabeth and Calypso glaring at them. Something about killing harmless animals and it's not killing if they're not alive.

"You'd better be there," Piper scolded, a hint of charmspeak in her voice.

"Alright, alright," I relented, "I'll be there. No need to charmspeak me."

In truth I was just jumping at the chance to see Will in close quarters again. He _was_ the head of the Apollo cabin after all. He should be there.

Maybe this would be my chance to get closer to him. I looked across the fire to see that Will looked even better in its light.

 **Will POV**

I stared through the flames of the open campfire at Nico, surrounded by his friends. What I wouldn't give to be there sitting next to him. Holding his hand. Snuggling close in the brisk air.

I blinked when a hand began waving in front of my face.

"Earth to Will," said a familiar voice.

Lou Ellen looked across the fire trying to find out what I was staring at.

My best friends were sitting next to me: Lou Ellen at my left and Cecil at my right, but all I could think about was Nico and how the shadows played against his skin in the firelight.

Trying to distract myself I focused instead on the people right next to me. I held out my right hand.

"Cecil," I said without even looking at him, "Wallet."

He swore in Ancient Greek before handing over my wallet.

I put my wallet in my pocket but held my hand out again.

"And the money you took," I said.

"Seriously?" he exclaimed, "I worked hard for that money."

I turned to look at him.

"You stole it from me," I remarked.

"And that's hard work," Cecil explained.

"Hand it over," I said, lacking sympathy.

Cecil grumbled but handed it over.

"Hey Will," Lou Ellen said, "I forgot to mention this earlier, but Chiron is letting the counselors have a movie night in the rec room."

My heart wanted to ask if Nico would be there, but I couldn't just say that outright, so instead I attempted a tactical approach.

"Who's going to be there exactly?" I asked curiously.

"To my knowledge all of the heads of the cabins," she answered. "Which excludes Cecil so you don't have to worry about your wallet getting lifted every five minutes."

"But you do have to worry about the Stoll brothers," Cecil mentioned.

"I'll be there Lou. Sounds like fun," I mentioned.

Inside I felt my heartbeat increase at the prospect of being so close to Nico in a dark room watching a romantic movie. Just being close to him would make my heart soar.

"What movie are we watching?" I asked.

Lou Ellen looked at me sympathetically.

"Frozen," she answered.

No. My prospects were ruined.

 **Sorry to those of you who wanted a romantic movie, but I had to make it Disney. I'm too big of a Disney fan to make it anything else. Get ready for sing-alongs. Update in one to two days time.**


	7. Fire and Ice

**Okay confession time. When I saw how many people followed and favorited after last chapter, along with how many views (over 800!), I actually squeaked with joy. As a teenage girl I'm pretty sure that's okay. I'm just happy my family wasn't home. My mom keeps telling me to cut down on the fanfiction and focus on PSATs. Luckily for you guys that's not going to happen. Hope you like the next chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to Rick Riordan**

 **Nico POV**

"Leo!" Percy complained, "You burned the popcorn! Again!"

"I was distracted by the Coke!" Leo replied.

"Is food all you guys ever think about?" Annabeth chastised.

I kept a close watch on the door hoping that Will would walk through it at any moment. When Will walked did finally walk in it was next to Lou Ellen I started to worry. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe Will was straight. I mean he was with Lou Ellen.

I gave myself a mental facepalm. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Maybe he was bi? Now it was just wishful thinking.

I was so busy planning a way to get out this night I almost missed my reason not to. If I faked an illness then Will would try to take care of me. And any other reason would make people try to convince me to stay. But then it was as if the Fates were trying to send me a sign. The first good thing in my life.

Lou Ellen separated from where she stood next to Will and hugged Connor for a prolonged period of time. Oh. Well that was new. I knew that Travis and Katie were dating, but Connor and Lou Ellen. Maybe the Aphrodite cabin had something going when they said gossip was their lifeline.

Once I had calmed myself down I turned to talk to Jason next to me so I wasn't just sitting there. Will on the other hand, stood awkwardly for a few minutes before coming over and sitting next to me on one of the couches.

"Hey Will," Jason greeted him.

"Jason, Nico," Will answered, "How're the arms?"

I took me a moment to notice that he was talking to me.

"Oh. They're fine," I answered.

Luckily the movie started before I could say anything to embarrass myself. I didn't pay attention to much of it, but from what I saw I could related to the Elsa character. Hiding all her life. Afraid of her power and hurting people. Not being able to trust yourself.

I constantly glanced out of the corner of my eye to look at Will. At some point during the first five or ten minutes he fell asleep. The part that I was particularly happy about is that he slid and ended up leaning against me. My heart started to beat faster but I remained as still as I could so as to not wake Will and ruin the one-sided moment. And I didn't. But Percy and Jason did.

"Let it go!" they shouted rather than sang. "Let it go!"

Piper and Annabeth shared a look before kissing their respective boyfriends to shut them up. On the bright side it worked. On the dark side Will was woken up by their yelling and he seemed determined not to fall asleep again.

I was still content though just watching Will for the rest of the movie. Luckily it was dark so no one could see the small smile spread across my face.

 **Will POV**

I don't know what I was thinking but I offered to escort Nico back to his cabin. I was worried that I had weirded him out by accidentally falling asleep on his shoulder and I wanted to fix it.

We were both silent the entire way there until we reached the porch. Nico opened the door but stayed outside.

"Good night Nico," I said.

"Good night Will," Nico said, lingering just a bit.

It was a spur of the moment thing, but I leaned in and kissed Nico. He seized up at first but a just as quickly relaxed and stretched on his tippy toes to kiss me harder and wrap one hand around my neck. I wrapped my own hand around Nico's waist.

After a few moments we separated, both breathing hard.

"I-I-" I stuttered, "I'm sorry."

And ran in the other direction without looking back.

 **Awww. Poor Nico. It'll get better though. Just watch for the next update in one to two days.**


	8. All Grass Goes to Hades

**Okay this is rather long chapter, but I didn't want to prolong it. I hope you enjoy it though. And thanks to all the people who favorited and followed! I keep writing for you guys!**

 **Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to Rick Riordan**

 **Nico POV**

Will didn't show up for breakfast the next morning. I can't say I was doing much better. Wherever I stepped the plants would wilt and die. The Demeter kids made it clear that I should stay away from their cabin.

I sulked into my cereal, not really eating but rather mixing it into mush. My table had never seemed more lonely.

Jason noticed my mood and came over to sit next to me.

"Look di Angelo," he said, "if this is about the movie choice, first of all the girls picked it, second, we'll pick something else next time. Something more to your liking."

I gave him my best death glare and even the great Jason Grace couldn't help but flinch.

"Look Grace," I spat, "do I seem like the kind person to get upset at some stupid kid's movie. I have my reasons for this attitude and would prefer if you would just leave me alone to eat my breakfast."

Jason pursed his lips but obliged.

I was aware that at this point about half of the breakfast chatter had stopped. Wishing I could just ignore them I dropped my spoon and stomped out of the dining pavilion towards the woods.

Luckily only small patches of grass died when I walked, otherwise the dryads wouldn't be too happy about their trees. I reached Zeus' Fist and climbed to the top, not caring about the scrapes and cuts I got on the way up. Once I reached the highest point I sat down, just throwing small pebbles off and occasionally reanimating the tiny skeletons of little critters.

I heard crunching on the path to my back. Someone had come to find me. Instead of responding I just continued ignoring them.

"Nico?" Piper timidly called out.

Now she was one person I had never gotten particularly close with. Not that I was really close with anyone. Why would she of all people come looking for me?

"What do you want?" I snapped.

"I want to talk to you about what's going on. It's relationship stuff isn't it," she said.

I turned in surprise.

"How did you know?" I asked.

"Sometimes people forget I'm the daughter of the love goddess," she answered.

"You always seemed a bit too tough to be a child of Aphrodite to me," I told her.

"I'll try to take that as a compliment," she mumbled, crossing her arms.

Neither of us said anything for a period of time. Piper shifted on her feet as if debating what would make me come down.

"Ya know," she called up, "You can't stay up there forever."

"I can try."

She stomped her foot in frustration.

"Don't make me charmspeak you down here," Piper threatened.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me."

I huffed in exasperation but climbed down. Glaring, I brushed my hands off and walked back towards the cabins, leaving a fresh trail of dead grass.

I headed towards my cabin because I thought Piper would leave me alone if I went in there, but noticed Will pacing my front porch. He even looked good in the erie green firelight. Will seemed to be practicing something, because if I didn't know any better I would say he was talking to himself.

"You dragged me back here for a reason didn't you," I inquired.

The plants around me wilted and died, leaving a bigger circle than previously.

"Yup," Piper answered from behind me, "I brought you back because I care about you. Now go talk to Will."

There was power in her voice, and I found myself walking back to my cabin unwillingly. Standing at the bottom of my stairs I looked up at Will. He was a mess. Tousled hair and red eyes. Inside out shirt and sneakers instead of flip flops. What had happened? Will wears flip flops in the snow. Why wouldn't he wear them now?

My heart felt as if it were tearing in two. What was he doing here? How could this possibly be worse? I think I would've been less hurt if he were straight. At least then I would know that it wasn't my fault.

Knowing there was no way to avoid this conversation I figured that I might as well get it over with.

"Ever heard of the three day rule," I said quietly, my voice cracking a little bit.

Will jumped.

"Nico!" he cried out.

Will looked almost like he wanted to hug me, but thought better of it afterwards.

"I'm sorry Nico, I panicked and ran," he explained.

"I noticed," I said coldly.

"I just-" he scrambled to justify, "I was worried I moved to fast and you would hate me so I ran but then I realized that you might leave and if you did then _I_ would hate me and-"

"Slow down," I interrupted, "I can't understand a word you're saying."

"Nico I just-" his voice cracked, "I'm so sorry and I understand if you hate me."

I looked down at feet.

"I don't hate you," I murmured.

"What?" Will asked.

"I said-" I answered a bit louder, "I don't hate you. I hated myself for thinking that someone would ever care for me."

"I do. I care for you."

By this point silent tears were streaming down my face. I stood there without saying a word. Will slowly stepped down the stairs before wrapping his arms around me. I didn't hug him back, but I didn't pull away either.

 **The end. Joking! The next chapter will be Will's POV from the kiss forward, but I don't think I'll have it done until Tuesday. I'm sorry, but I've got school and other stuff so if I can get it up by tomorrow I will, but most likely it will be up Tuesday.**


	9. The Worn Path

**I've got great news! My best friend gave me a cold! If any of you couldn't tell, that was sarcasm. Anyway, here's the next chapter. I wrote most of it during AP Biology. And yes I went to school even though I'm sick. I have my reasons.**

 **Will POV**

As soon as I ran off I immediately felt terrible. What had I done? I'd sent the whole thing to Hades. I stumbled onto the beach, the dunes eventually causing me to trip.

I flipped over onto my back and just laid there, staring at the stars. What was I going to do now?

Nico would hate me. If not for kissing him then surely for running. Why did I run? I cared for Nico. More than I'd cared for anyone before.

I dug my fingers in the damp sand. My eyes welled and blurred my vision but tears didn't flow. The pain in my heart disoriented my brain. The darkness had swallowed me whole, but I couldn't let it take me.

I sat up, my clothes and hair covered in sand. I couldn't help walking by Nico's cabin on my way to the Apollo cabin. I tried to look away but couldn't help looking through the window.

The dried tears on Nico's sleeping face wrenched at my heart. I staggered and dragged in a strangled breath. At least he wasn't gone. But he was hurt. And I didn't know if this was something I could heal like a cut or a scrape. I could try though. Not tonight. I didn't think I could put either of us through that again in such a short period of time.

So instead I stumbled back to my cabin and dropped into my bed, not bothering to take off my shoes or brush off the sand.

When I woke up it was maybe ten in the morning. As a son of Apollo I can genuinely say that has never happened to anyone in my cabin. My siblings must have known something was wrong, because they had left me alone to sleep when they got breakfast. Also, someone had thought to put a blanket over me. Probably Kayla. She was always thinking about others.

I stumbled out of bed and threw on the first pair of fresh clothes I could find: a camp t-shirt, shorts, and of all things, sneakers. I didn't bother brushing my hair even though it stuck up all over the place, and I'm pretty sure my shirt was inside out.

If there was ever a time where I didn't care about my appearance it was now. I ran over to Nico's cabin, hoping with all my heart that he hadn't left. That maybe I had a chance to fix this.

Nico wasn't home- or whatever he calls this cabin- but since his aviator jacket was here I assumed he hadn't left. Maybe there was still time to fix this.

Unfortunately I don't handle nerves all that well. As I waited for Nico I began pacing and practicing what I would say.

Nico. I'm sorry.

Too bland.

Nico. I'm so sorry I don't know what I was thinking when I kissed you, but I felt fireworks and I didn't know if you as well did so I panicked-

That wouldn't go over well.

Nico. I love you.

I think he would disappear for good if I said that.

Why was this so hard?!

I was pretty sure that at that point I had started wearing a path into the porch.

"Ever heard of the three day rule," a familiar voice called out softly.

"Nico!" I cried out.

I was so relieved I was tempted to hug him, but he's not one for physical affection so that might not work in my favor.

"I'm sorry Nico, I panicked and ran," I explained as best I could.

"I noticed," he said coldly.

I had done this. I had reverted him back to his old self just as he was opening up to people.

"I just-" I scrambled to justify, "I was worried I moved to fast and you would hate me so I ran but then I realized that you might leave and if you did then _I_ would hate me and-"

"Slow down," he interrupted, "I can't understand a word you're saying."

I don't know if I could slow down due to all the nervous energy bouncing around inside me. Medically speaking it's not good to put so much strain on your body. Romantically speaking it means that this is something serious.

"Nico I just-" my voice cracked, "I'm so sorry and I understand if you hate me."

Nico looked down at his feet. I knew I didn't look my best right now, but Nico, if possible, looked paler and skinnier. His dark shirt hung off his thin frame, as did his black jeans. Nico's ragged sneakers were untied and he was twisting the skull ring on his hand. His deep eyes looked cracked, as if he was numb to the pain.

He murmured something I couldn't hear.

"What?" I asked.

"I said-" Nico answered a bit louder, "I don't hate you. I hated myself for thinking that someone would ever care for me."

"I do. I care for you," I said without thinking of the consequences.

By this point silent tears were streaming down Nico's face. He stood there silently. My poor Nico.

I slowly stepped down the stairs before wrapping my arms around him. He didn't hug me back, but he didn't pull away either. I pulled Nico closer and he rested his head on my chest, as if he had given in. I didn't let go for a few minutes, and eventually Nico wrapped his arms tentatively around my waist.

 **I thought that would be a cute ending to the chapter. Update- Still sick. Still writing. Only difference- I'm at home and there's a box of tissues beside my laptop. And I feel worse than before. And no your computer can't get sick through this like one of the people in my grade joked about. Anyway, next chapter in one-two days.**


	10. Beauty Queen Fixes Love

**I'm sorry I didn't get a chapter up last night, but I did warn you. Anyway, my cold is getting better. Ish. Actually not really. I still feel terrible, but not enough to stop writing so here's the next chapter.**

 **Piper POV**

Nico may not be the friendliest of people, but he deserves his happiness just like anyone else. When I saw him at breakfast, I could feel the dark waves rolling off. Jason and I glanced at each other. I nodded in Nico's direction. Jason stood up and went over the Nico's table where he said something. Nico responded coldly and Jason looked unhappy but left.

Out of nowhere Nico dropped his spoon and ran off towards the woods. Jason looked as though he wanted to go after him, but I shook my head. No. Nico needed time to cool off. I'd talk to him later. I looked down at the piece of toast in my hand. My Aphrodite senses were tingling. Okay now I sound like my siblings.

Nico was in anguish. Emotional anguish, and if I'm not mistaken it was romantic. Oh my gods Nico had a romantic interest! Of course it wasn't going well. I'd have to fix that. Okay now I'm turning into one of my siblings. I might have to fix that too.

Leaving a bit more time for Nico to cool of I followed Jason to the sword arena. He had little free time before a meeting with Chiron about additional cabins.

Jason seemed especially distracted as we practiced, because I actually managed to disarm him. He smiled at me, pleased with my progress, and the little scar on his lip stretched. The son of Jupiter's thoughts seemed to be elsewhere though- probably on Nico.

Sheathing our swords Jason and I walked over to the water cooler to get a drink. Meanwhile Jason stood staring at the woods where Nico had run off to. His eyebrows pinched in worry.

I slid my hand into Jason's and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry," I said, "I'll go talk to him."

And so I did. First though I took a quick shower and got a change of clothes. Luckily Lacy's sparkle gun hadn't reached my trunk yet. Of course the walls have had better days.

I knew Nico had gone into the woods a while ago, but he was strong and could take care of himself so I didn't need to rush. As I walked in the direction of the forest I noticed a lone figure pacing on the Hades cabin porch. Will, of all people, looking distraught and exhausted.

I already knew Nico was gay- word travels around camp fast, especially gossip such as this and especially in the Aphrodite cabin. What I didn't know however, was Will's involvement. Even from a distance I could sense his emotional distress.

At that point I just wanted to know what was going on between the two of them.

I quickly jogged into the woods, the dryads occasionally giving directions, and I eventually came upon Zeus' Fist. On top of it was Nico, with the shadows hugging his body.

I knew he heard me from the amount of noise I made. For some reason though he kept on ignoring me.

"Nico?" I called out timidly.

"What do you want?" he snapped.

"I want to talk to you about what's going on. It's relationship stuff isn't it," I said.

He turned in surprise. I'm not usually in tune with this sort of stuff, so I get why Nico didn't expect something like that coming from me.

"How did you know?" he asked.

"Sometimes people forget I'm the daughter of the love goddess," I answered.

"You always seemed a bit too tough to be a child of Aphrodite to me," Nico told me.

I wasn't sure what to take from that, but coming from Nico I guess it wasn't an insult.

"I'll try to take that as a compliment," I mumbled, crossing my arms.

Neither of us said anything for a period of time. I know he didn't mean to, but Nico always sorta creeped me out. I shifted nervously on my feet. Should I make him come down? He'd have to come down at some point, but that boy could be really stubborn.

"Ya know," I called up, "You can't stay up there forever."

"I can try."

Here I was trying to help him and he just acted like a little kid at the top of the slide when there was a line. I stomped her foot in frustration. Well this little kid needed a push.

"Don't make me charmspeak you down here," Piper threatened.

"You wouldn't dare," he said, but almost hesitantly like he knew I would.

"Try me."

Nico groaned but slowly made his way down. The patch of grass he landed in immediately turned brown and wilted. I made a mental note to keep him away from the begonia I was growing on the window.

I followed him out of the woods. Once he talked to Will I would leave him alone, but until then I was his shadow for once.

Nico stopped stopped dead **(A/N lol)** in his tracks. He stared longingly at Will. There was a bit of pain in his eyes as well. Something had definitely happened, and I needed to know what.

"You dragged me back here for a reason didn't you," Nico inquired.

The dead patch around him grew, and I stepped back a bit, not wanting to be caught in it.

"Yup," I answered from a few yards behind him at the edge of the circle, "I brought you back because I care about you. Now go talk to Will."

I put a bit of charmspeak in my words in order to make him go. Nico looked panicked. He had not choice but to talk to Will.

Meanwhile I snuck around the edge of the cabin to listen in.

It was so sweet I wanted to cry. No. Not going there. Once you pass that line there's no turning back. I had done my job and now I had to disappear. Still- it was so exciting I did a little happy dance and peeked around the corner once more to see them hugging.

 **And end of chapter. Hey guess what? I'm going to Hartford Comic Con on Saturday because it's my sister's birthday, and even though she's turning eighteen this was what she wanted to do. Anyway I've got a great costume. Guesses? And next update Friday because my teachers seem to hate me and have assigned a ton of homework. And I know three POV for one part was a lot, but we're moving on. Don't worry.**


	11. Paparazzi

**I know I said Friday, but guess what- I couldn't wait, so here's the next chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to Rick Riordan**

 **Nico POV**

For the rest of that day Will and I stuck together like velcro. Sure we got a lot- _a lot_ \- of strange looks and whispers, but when Will smiled, it seemed as though the outside world didn't matter.

It felt like the time the Stolls has taped my mouth into a smile and I couldn't get it off for an hour. That's just how much I was grinning. Will giggled at my constant smiles, pointing out a resemblance to the Joker.

"If I'm the Joker what does that make you?" I asked.

Will looked at me with that strange glint in his eyes that he gets at the verge of a joke.

"I'm Batman," he answered in a low voice.

I could help but laugh. Will was so optimistic and bright that thought of him being a dark superhero made me crack up.

We walked along the edge of the strawberry fields, and for once they didn't die when I got close. If I didn't know better I could've sworn they even perked up the slightest bit.

Will picked a few and handed the biggest one to me. I took it from him, our hands brushing.

I think that was the point I decided that strawberries are my favorite fruit.

I nibbled on my strawberry before throwing the stem into the compost pile.

"I've got to stop by the infirmary to check on everything," Will said.

I looked down, a bit dismayed until he said something else.

"Do you wanna come with?"

Will held out his hand to me. I blushed at the simple display of public affection.

I took Will's hand wordlessly. It was soft and warm. Best of all though- it was a stable point in my life.

 **Will POV**

When Nico took my hand my heart soared.

I lightly tugged him along to the Big House, not releasing his hand for a second until we reached the infirmary.

"Stay," I told Nico, worried he might leave.

"I'm not going anywhere," he assured me.

Kayla informed me everything was normal and the past day had been fine without me. Not exactly what I wanted to hear but I guess it was good.

Nico looked a bit uncomfortable near the door. He started twisting his skull ring.

"Thanks Kayla," I said before telling her goodbye and walking back to Nico.

He glanced nervously outside. I placed my hand on his upper arm.

"Hey what's wrong? Monsters?" I asked, suddenly alert.

"Worse," Nico answered, "Girls."

Nico was right. If I listened closely I could heard muffled giggling and footsteps.

I stared out the window to see half the Aphrodite cabin doing a really bad job of hiding. They peeked over the sills, whispering to each other loudly. I waved, but Nico looked a little green, like he was more afraid of them then fading out of existence.

Once the girls realized they had been spotted they tried to duck beneath the sills again, as if that would keep them from being noticed.

Nico moved a little and tried to hide behind me.

"This is going to be harder than we thought isn't it," I said.

"Yup," Nico answered in a small voice as he peaked over my shoulder at the group of squealing girls, "There's a reason I'm gay. And that's part of it."

 **Well that went rather well if I do say so myself. Anybody have any ideas or suggestions? Because I'm just about out. Anyway. Comic con in two days! I'm so excited! And my cold's just about gone! And I didn't get any guesses on my costume but I'll give you guys a big hint. "Luke- I am your father."**


	12. Cuddles and Kisses

**I'm very, very, very sorry I didn't update sooner! Really, I am! Okay not so much because I was at Comic Con. Which was AWESOME by the way. And you guys have got to be kidding me. Has ANYONE here seen Star Wars? Please? Pretty Please? I was Darth Vader, and my best friend made fun of me, because I'm short and I'm a girl so I made an odd Darth Vader. But otherwise it worked out fine. As a group there was Darth Vader, Hans Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Count Dooku. Well here's the next chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to Rick Riordan**

 **Nico POV**

Weeks passed and Will and I hadn't kissed since that first night. As I thought about this it was the last night before all of the summer campers would be returning home and the bonfire was a vibrant red. Will and I sat next to each other in the third row, holding hands in the shadows that were playing off the benches. All of our friends surrounded us.

They all had their plans for the school year figured out, but I had no idea what I was going to do.

Percy and Annabeth, more commonly known as Percabeth around camp since they never separated and acted as one, were moving back to the city with Percy's mom and step-dad Paul to complete their senior year at Goode. At that moment they had their arms wrapped around each other, but in their eyes you could see their fractured souls barely held together.

Piper and Jason, or Jasper according to Piper's siblings, sat with Jason's arm around Piper's shoulder. To my knowledge they would be visiting both camps throughout the year, but planned on spending two weeks with Piper's dad in California first. Jason didn't seem particularly happen when Piper mentioned something about surfing in Malibu. His exact words were along the lines of, "I think I'm gonna be sick."

Leo and Calypso, with some new nickname of Cleo, were toasting marshmallows over Leo's lit hand. They intended on traveling the world for the year and coming back to visit a few times in between. Calypso wanted to see everything and Leo intended to be with her every step of the way.

The Stolls and their girlfriends Katie and Lou Ellen, all whom were sitting behind us, were year round campers. As far a relationships goes, theirs were pretty steady. And filled with constant pranks. The latest one involving turning the Demeter and Hecate cabins purple, leading to the Hermes cabin being filled with enchanted roses that released stun powder if sniffed.

Cecil on the other hand, was attempting to flirt with a girl from the Iris cabin. He must have said something stupid because she slapped him and stalked away. The handprint left on the side of his face was rainbow colored.

Reyna was busy in Camp Jupiter, trying to create a schedule for next summer's swap program. She also was trying to get used to the newest Praetor- our own Frank Zhang. So far she still had no love interest, but there was time for all of that now without the war.

Hazel and Frank had come back to visit Camp Half Blood for a few days but were returning to Camp Jupiter for the rest of the school year. Hazel promised she'd visit for Christmas however.

When she arrived on Half Blood Hill to see me holding hands with Will I swear she smacked my arm for a solid five minutes complaining about how I didn't tell her sooner. Then she proceeded to hit the other members of the seven asking why they didn't tell her either. All except Leo, who when he introduced Calypso received a giant hug and an 'I'm so happy for you two.' Yet there I was with a bruised arm. That girl can really swing.

At the bonfire she and Frank sat close to each other, both wearing purple Camp Jupiter shirts.

Everyone seemed to have the next year of their lives planned out, some even had more, but here I was, with nowhere to be and nothing to do. I did have Will though. He was the one reason I was here surrounded by people rather than in some remote cabin in the middle of snow filled Minnesota.

I glanced sideways at Will. His soft blond hair was ruffled and messy in the firelight. His light blue eyes sparkled with amusement as he laughed at Cecil's colorful face. I leaned my head onto his shoulder and he wrapped his arm protectively around without another thought.

I felt like one of the other couples I'd watched enviously for years. The Aphrodite cabin talked about us just as much, if not more, as the they talked about "Percabeth."

Chiron began introducing the bead for the end of the summer. It was a swirl of purple and orange with the names and the symbols of the seven. As I had expected, I was forgotten again once the fighting was done. Then the old centaur did something that surprised me. He turned the bead to show the back, which had a tiny skull and my name in Greek.

Everyone began clapping for the eight of us and the beads were passed out.

When I took my leather necklace out of my pocket it was hard to believe this was only my third year. I placed the newest bead on and for once actually put it around my neck.

All around me the rest of the campers began to sing songs and laugh, but me? I was content just to sit beside my boyfriend in the firelight. The best part though, was when he leaned in for a kiss. I could almost tune out the wolf whistles and cat calls from the other campers.

 **THIS IS** **NOT** **THE END. And that being said- hopefully I'll update it sooner than this update. Note- I did not say when the next update would be on the last one, and I'm not making any promises on this one. However, I do need to know what you want to happen to Nico before I can write the next chapter.**

 **A. Nico and Will stay at camp and enjoy its wonders- this may lead to a quest also**

 **B. Nico and Will head to High School in New York City at Goode with Percy and Annabeth- Remember though that they would be in their freshman year while Percy and Annabeth are seniors.**

 **Please let me know your opinion so I can write the next chapter!**


	13. Quests and More Kisses

**It seems as though Nico and Will are going to high school. And just to let you guys know- you can always tell me if I get something wrong. As a big PJO fan I want to know when I get something wrong so I can fix it for the rest of my stories. So from now on LeoxCalypso will be referred to as Caleo. Anyway, here's the next chapter.**

 **Will POV**

"You want us to what?!" Nico burst out.

"I want you go to school in the city," Chiron explained calmly, "To Goode to be exact."

"You're insane!" Nico shouted, waving his arms dramatically, "Out of your mind!"

"I may be old," Chiron said, "but I'm not 'out of my mind.' I want you to go to Goode for multiple reasons. The first being to check on Percy and Annabeth."

"You have _got_ to be kidding," Nico mumbled, rubbing his hands on his forehead.

"They may seem fine now, but we've all heard the screaming," Chiron told him in a somber tone, "And to go through something like that? Well I can only imagine. You on the other hand, know what they're going through."

Nico flinched at his words and sank back into his arm chair.

"Also," Chiron continued, "many demigods on their way here stop in New York City only to be cornered by the monsters there. You and Will could guide them there."

"Um, Chiron?" I interrupted, "Wouldn't our scents draw more attention to them?"

"A good point my boy, but at least you can fight," he answered.

"Then why are we both going?" Nico asked. "I can go alone and stalk them."

I was a little hurt by that last question, and Nico didn't seem to realize until he glanced at me and saw the pain in my eyes. He opened his mouth to apologize and explain but Chiron started talking first.

"Well I'm not very well sending you out there on your own. The trouble you'd get into..." Chiron paused, "Anyway, I also know you don't like working with others, but I figured you'd make an exception for Will."

Nico looked like he wanted to object, but there was no way he could argue with that logic. Chiron also had a look in his eyes that warned Nico to stop argueing.

Nico huffed in exasperation.

"Fine," he snapped, "I'll start packing."

Nico stomped out of the room, and I couldn't help but notice a little figurine sticking out of his pocket. Nico didn't usually carry trinkets around. I'd have to ask him about it later.

Meanwhile Chiron turned towards me.

"One other thing," he said, "Don't tell Nico but this is also to give him some teenage experiences in the normal world. I fear so much mythology and monsters is getting to him. He needs to be a normal teenager for once."

I nodded in agreement. It made sense. I had never once even seen Nico throw a football. Maybe some time in the real world would do him some good.

"You leave tomorrow morning at eight with Percy and Annabeth," Chiron said.

I shifted a bit.

"I'll just... go and pack..." I said, pointing towards the door and shuffling out.

 **Nico POV**

I loved Will, but the idea of living in the city with him and working with him sorta freaked me out. He had seen me at some bad points, but never at my worst. What would happen when the nightmares started? Will would surely try to come up with a cure. He couldn't though. Nothing could fix the nightmares. Normal demigod dreams are bad, but amplified by Tartarus… Let's just say that it's hard to get a good night's rest.

Once I left the Big House I immediately jogged to my cabin and packed. It wasn't like I was excited. I just wanted to get this over with- to try and not lengthen it out.

My cabin was pretty bare of personal items, but I had a few belongings that I stuffed in a small black duffle besides my clothes and medicine. I took the mythomagic figurine of Hades out of my pocket and nestled it between some socks and a tee shirt.

Worried that Will might come in at any moment I wiped away the silent tears.

When he didn't show up for about a half I decided to go to him instead. Standing up from the velvety sheets, I walked out of dreary cabin 13 and over to sunny cabin 7. I could already hear Will's voice before I even opened the door.

"Has anyone seen my toothbrush?!" he yelled.

"I borrowed it!" one of the younger campers shouted back.

"You what?!" Will practically shrieked.

"Joking!" the little boy hollered among the giggles of their siblings.

I knocked on the door, a smirk on my face as well.

"Somebody answer that! I'm trying to find my **(A/N insert greek profanity here)** toothbrush!" Will shouted.

A little boy, about nine, with unruly blond hair and emerald eyes answered.

"Will!" the little boy called. I recognized his voice as the joker. "It's your boyfriend!"

I heard something crash in the bathroom along with a few more greek swears.

"So you're the toothbrush napper," I said in a low joking voice.

The boy gave me a toothy grin before Will showed up, when the little boy promptly tried to disappear.

"Hey Nico," Will said casually as he closed the door to his chaotic cabin behind him so they could talk on the porch.

"Will," I said, driving straight into the topic, "I just wanted to make sure you're really okay with coming to New York with me."

"Of course Nico," he said, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"It's just," I tried to explain, "something could go terribly wrong out in the real world and I don't want you caught up in that and-."

Will shut me up with a kiss on the lips. They were soft and warm against mine. It was even more spectacular than the last. His hands cupped my face carefully and he drew away for a breath.

"I would follow you anywhere Sunshine," Will whispered resting his forehead on mine, despite the slight height issue.

When he said that my heart melted and any doubt I had about our relationship and this quest evaporated into thin air.

 **That's the end of the chapter but hopefully I'll get the next one up soon. Remember that I'm always open to suggestions and criticism. In fact I encourage them as long as they're not too harsh. So please review and tell me what you think and/or want about/in the story and I'll see what I can do.**


	14. A Fresh Start

**Chapter fourteen. This is gonna be exciting. I'm posting it a few hours early because I'm going to the Big E which people in New England might recognize. It's a fair/carnival ish thing. It's a lot of fun though. Happy Yom Kippur to any of you who celebrate it! Personally, I don't, but my school gives us the day off, so here's the next chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to Rick Riordan**

 **Will POV**

I stood atop Half Blood Hill with Percy, Annabeth, and Nico in the bright morning air. The sun seemed to shine particularly bright today so I smiled and looked at Nico who was standing next to me with a duffle over his shoulder.

Nico's shoulders were slumped and he had deep circles under his eyes. I know he's not a morning person, but it looked as though he didn't get any sleep. Before I could ask him about it, Argus drove up in one of the white vans.

We loaded up and hopped into the car. Normally someone would've called shotgun, but Annabeth and Percy were clinging to each other and I didn't want to leave Nico when he looked like he was about to fall over. The doctor in me just wouldn't let it happen. So each couple took a row, and as soon as Nico and I sat down in the one closer to the back he fell asleep.

Now Nico's not normally one for looking peaceful, but as we drove along the dirt road I couldn't help but smile at the calm look on his face as he rested. Usually he was tense or guarded, but now he just looked tranquil with his head in my lap.

Meanwhile, Annabeth and Percy spoke in hushed tones in front of me. I heard bits and pieces of what they said. Something about nightmares and being worse. If their dreams of Tartarus were getting worse then that might be why Nico was so out of it.

I knew I couldn't ask about "down there," but I figured it might be nice to start a conversation. Come to think of it, they might know about that little figurine Nico had tucked away.

"Hey, Percy," I said, interrupting their hushed conversation.

Percy and Annabeth turned to face me, both with small forced smiles on their faces.

"Hey Will," he answered, "What's up?"

It was now or never. Of course the figurine could just be nothing. Just a meaningless little trinket. But there are no meaningless trinkets in Nico's life. Everything he had, had a purpose or a memory. Maybe if I could figure out the connection with this one I would know Nico that little bit better.

"Nico had this little figurine sticking out of his pocket the other day. I was wondering if you knew anything about it," I asked.

Percy's expression turned dark and Annabeth gave him a sympathetic look.

"I guess you deserve an explanation," he said softly. "A few years ago, when we found Nico, his sister joined the Hunters of Artemis."

I nodded. Nico had already told me this. His sister then went on a quest with Zoë Nightshade, Grover Underwood, Thalia, and Percy to save Artemis and Annabeth.

Percy continued, "On the quest she joined, well, we ended up in the junkyard of the gods. Thousands of discarded items- but if you tried to take one then the defenses came out. Bianca took something. And a metal giant came out and she sacrificed herself to stop it."

Poor Bianca. Poor Nico. To lose his sister like that.

"When I came back and explained everything to him, I gave him the item Bianca stole. Her last gift for him. One she had taken specifically to give him. That little figure. A Hades mythomagic statue," Percy finished.

His voice had tightened near the end, filling up with guilt. It wasn't his fault though, and Nico understood that now.

As we entered the city the traffic became a bit heavier. Percy began tapping randomly because of his pent up energy and ADHD. Personally I was hoping nothing would happen. Knock on wood.

Finally we reached Percy's apartment. I gently shook Nico awake and everyone got out. After getting out bags and thanking Argus before he left for camp again, we climbed the front steps of the apartment building.

I looked up at the stone building. It seemed on the newer side, but after spending most of my life in the suburbs and Camp Half Blood I guess I don't know much about the city and what to expect.

Both Percy and Nico seemed uncomfortable about the idea of using the elevator due to its cramped space so we took the stairs. Once we reached the fourteenth floor Annabeth and I used the little energy we had left to glare at the other two boys who seemed to be bouncing on the balls of their feet.

We made our way down the blue hallway across the wooden floors. Percy stopped in front of door number 1428. I realized this was the first time he'd actually see his mother in real life since Hera stole him and wiped his memory.

He hesitated to knock. Nico, being the impatient teenager he is, knocked quickly on the door before Percy could.

A nice looking woman opened the door. Her face was covered in worry lines that seemed to disappear when she smiled and saw Percy. Light brown hair streaked with gray was pulled into a loose bun. An apron covered in flour was tied around her waist.

"Percy!" she cried out, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Mom," Percy answered, his voice thick with emotion as he wrapped his own arms around her.

"Annabeth, Nico," she said happily as she released her son, "All of you come in, come in."

ushered us inside. The whole place looked quite homey and smelled like chocolate chip cookies.

As we sat down in the living room to blue cookies and milk welcomed us all again.

"Now I know Annabeth of course. And Nico," she said, "But I don't believe I've met you."

She pointed lightly at me. I held out my hand and she shook it.

"Will Solace," I said, "Son of Apollo."

She smiled warmly.

"Well you should brighten the place up," she said warmly, "and I'm Sally."

Maybe a school year here wouldn't be as bad as Nico kept swearing it would be.

 **And I'm leaving in a short while. Sorry this was a slightly more boring chapter, but hopefully the action will start soon enough. And no promises on the next update. Sorry. Anybody have suggestions or thoughts on it?**


	15. Sane or Insane?

**Google Docs is being quite frustrating. It's not letting me load the document I have for this story specifically. n But I finally got to it to work so that I could continue writing. Also I got some pretty bad news yesterday so I'm not in a very happy mood. I was on the verge of tears. I found out that my grandfather has bone cancer in his pelvis and spine. I figured writing might help take my mind off of it, so here I am.**

 **Nico POV**

I don't think that the sleep I got in the car was too deep, because I woke up without dreams. When I woke up though it was like a dream- the hazy sight and bright light from the car windows with Will gently shaking me.

Anyway, by the time Sally gave us cookies and Will introduced himself I was wide awake. Percy certainly was too. He probably would've been bouncing all over the apartment if he wasn't anchored to the couch by Annabeth's hand. Was it really a good idea to give an ADHD kid so much sugar?

I nibbled on mine own cookie as Sally explained the living situation. Oh my gods. I had completely forgotten about that. Chiron must've told Will at some point that because he seemed to understand.

Percy and Annabeth would be sleeping in Percy's old room, and Will and I would take the guest room that was already fitted with two twin beds. I silently swore to myself. I assumed we would be in a different apartment completely. Could I really handle the 'family life?'

Sally showed us to our rooms. Percy just flopped down on his queen size bed facedown. Annabeth shook her head in disapproval. Will, it seemed, just couldn't stop smiling the entire day. At Half Blood Hill. During the car ride.

When we reached the guest room my first impression was: I think I'm blind. The color was so bright I almost wanted to puke. The walls were a bright green shade that matched the bed covers. Luckily there was no floral. If the sheets had flowers then I would've burned them. I would rather freeze to death than sleep with floral sheets.

The carpet was a light grey thankfully enough, as were the night stands and the dressers.

Will started to unpack. He was being all neat about everything. His clothes perfectly folded and placed directly into the dresser. I, on the other hand, gave up and just dumped my stuff into one of the drawers before flopping on my own bed, similar to Percy.

That night as I slept I had a recurring nightmare. One that just wouldn't disappear.

 _The darkness pulled at me until I was falling. Falling down the bottomless pit. Wind rushed past my face and tugged at my clothes. Screams were ripped from my mouth and I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping this would end soon, but they were soon torn open again. Memories. That's all this was. Not like it was actually happening again. I couldn't convince myself though. It all seemed so real._

 _As the darkness morphed into a bloody, crimson shade, a haze began to rise around me. The, now, sulfuric air burned my lungs, but there was nothing I could do about this. About any of this. Most importantly, about waking up._

 _The fog parted beneath me, and a landscape of terrors was revealed. Of course I would splatter before any of that could bother me. I shut my eyes once more, concentrating and praying. The shadows gathered beneath me and cushioned my fall, but I still scraped and rolled along the rocky ground for quite a few feet before coming to a stop. I laid on my back, my chest heaving and my lungs revolted at the air quality._

 _As I looked up there was only darkness and fog. I could feel dozens of cuts and scratches spread across my body. I wanted to stop. To give up. But these were only memories. And in my past I got up. I got up because that's what I had done so many times in the past. Take the pain. Deal with it. Save the people. Melt back into the shadows. So I got up. And I walked rather painfully across the barren landscape. The endless barren landscape. Where there was no hope to be seen. Only pain. Only sorrow. For I was in the heart of Tartarus._

 _I heard something. A voice in the darkness crying out. Crying my name. Nico. Nico._

"Nico! Nico!" Will called out, "Wake up!"

He shook me hard, arms gripping my arms tightly. I groaned. The memory of the pain etched into my mind and mimicked on my skin.

"Will," I cried out softly.

"I'm here Nico," he replied, "I'm here."

Will gathered me into his arms and sat in bed with me. He cradled me as I sat in his lap, singing softly in Ancient Greek.

For once I didn't mind acting like a little kid. For once I let my stone cold image float away.

I snuggled close to Will, afraid he would let go and leave me and that I would once again be stuck in such a sad state. I began to cry silently into his chest, but he only held me tighter.

 **I feel bad for Nico… Actually not so much. He's there cuddling Will, and I'm here single. Figured I'd add some fluff, and I couldn't let Nico just leave his scarring experience without something to remember it by. Update in a few days? Maybe? Please tell me any suggestions or comments! I love hearing from you guys!**


	16. Rise and Shine Sunshine

**You guys are fine with a few days without an update right? I blame the homework. And the blood moon. Did any of you guys see it? If not then I suggest looking it up. It was amazing. A** **nyway, here's the next chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to Rick Riordan**

 **Will POV**

Nico cuddled close to me as I sang softly to him. It was around six in the morning. As a son of Apollo, when the sun comes up, I get up, whether I want to or not. The morning sun was just beginning to peak up from beyond the skyscrapers.

We sat for what seemed like hours before Sally called us downstairs for breakfast and I regrettably let Nico go.

It was about a week later that school started. I hadn't had an actual school experience for years, and although Annabeth and I were excited, our boyfriends seemed to have doubts.

Annabeth and I were already dressed and ready to go, but Percy was spread out on his bed like a starfish **(A/N This is where you laugh at my joke)** and Nico was curled up into a little ball under the covers. For some reason it appeared as though nobody had, had a nightmare the previous night. Maybe the gods were blessing us. Or maybe the Fates were trying to put us off guard.

"Rise and shine sunshine," I whispered in Nico's ear.

He didn't respond.

Annabeth tugged on Percy's limbs trying to get him out of bed. She even poured a glass of water over his head, but he remained dry and there wasn't even a hitch in his breathing.

Annabeth looked at me from across the hall and huffed in exasperation while crossing her arms. She blew a stray strand of hair out of her face.

I looked back with a smile and held up my pointer finger. _Wait._ I leaned close to Nico and pecked him on the lips. Nothing. I whispered a swear in greek. Annabeth laughed at my frustration.

She in turn held up her own hand in a signal to wait. In a soft voice she called out something sure to wake Percy up.

"Percy!" she yelled, "I'm going to eat all of your blue pancakes!"

Percy shot out of bed and down the hall towards the kitchen, completely ignoring the fact that Annabeth was in fact standing right beside the bed. What really surprised me though was that Nico too shot out of bed and raced down the hall in his black flannel pants and t-shirt.

I guess I can't blame him. Sally's cooking really is _that_ good. But I must say that I was a little miffed that the thought of all the blue pancakes woke him up, yet when I kissed him on the lips- nothing.

A moment later both Percy and Nico shuffled back down the hallway. I hadn't noticed before, but Percy was walking around shirtless. Not that I would ever tell Nico, but Percy looked really _hot_ right then- his hair all ruffled, and his toned abs after years of sword fighting. This was the point in time that I was really happy that Nico had gotten over Percy.

"What happened?" Annabeth asked.

"Mom said no pancakes until we're dressed," Percy answered, dejected.

"I guess that means Will and I are good," she said cheerfully. "Come along Solace."

Annabeth looped her arm through mine and hopped down the hall.

When we reach the table there were already dozens of blue pancakes stacked high on a platter and plates set out along with syrup and butter. Annabeth and I sat down and began to load up our plates. As it turns out some even had blue chocolate chips in them.

I breathed in deeply with an involuntary smile. After a week of Sally's food I had increased my exercise regimen just to keep up with the calorie intake.

When Annabeth and I were about halfway through, Nico and Percy came racing through the apartment once more.

Percy stacked about five pancakes on his plate. Where did he put all that food? and Nico had about three. Since we had come here I began to notice that Nico had started to fill out. After his small appetite at camp it was nice to see him actually eat.

When Percy was finally done (after thirds) we left for the subway. Sally waved goodbye and told us that there were cookies in our backpacks.

Nico and Percy agreed to take the elevator in order to keep to the time frame. We all crowded in and the "death box," as Nico called it, began to go down. A women from the seventh floor joined us and we kept going down. Suddenly the elevator jerked to a stop in between the second and first floor. The lights flickered and Nico's breathing quickened. The lady from the seventh floor began to transform. Into what you ask? Why into a monster of course.

 **Sorry for the actionless chapter, but like I told you guys, I'm running out of ideas. Help. Or just review. I like it when you guys talk to me.**


	17. At First Glance

**Come on guys. Talk to me. Anything. Hi. Say hi. Or something. Well here's the next chapter anyway.**

 **Nico POV**

"Oh come on!" Percy shouted, "I came to the city for a little peace and quiet from the mythological world and what happens? It follows me home."

He threw up his arms in exasperation.

The empousa in front of us didn't seem to care about Percy's peace and quiet. She hisses and held her claws up.

Annabeth didn't look much happier than Percy. I should've know what would happen next, given Annabeth's heritage, but sometimes when she talks

"Do you _really_ think it was a good idea to enter an enclosed space with four demigods, two of which are children of the big three?" Annabeth questioned.

The empousa's eyes flickered with realization at what she had just done.

Annabeth threw a compact dagger from her pocket straight into the empousa's forehead and she blew apart into dust. The dagger buried itself into the elevator door. As the elevators itself began to move again, we all untensed.

The elevator provided a pleasant 'ding' when it reached the first floor. One side only opened half way since Annabeth's dagger prevented it from opening. Annabeth made her way out first, pulling the dagger out nonchalantly as she passed the door.

Percy followed close behind and Will and I left after them.

After taking the subway through the city, we finally ended up near Goode High school.

Everyone climbed the stone steps to the front, though I think Will noticed I lagged behind a bit. He waited for me to reach the top.

"Nico, what's wrong?" he asked.

Although Will's tone was serious I couldn't help but laugh a little bit at the little crease in between his eyebrows when he gets worried.

"It's just…" I started, "The last school I went to was a military school for only a few months, and before that it was decades ago. What if I screw up?"

"Then I'll be there beside to help fix what you screwed up," Will said.

He smiled sweetly and I couldn't help but smile back. Will made it seem like everything was going to be alright. The feeling in my gut disagreed however.

I walked into Goode, Will by my side. My palms began to sweat and my heart began to race. Oh gods. I'd rather fight a monster. This was almost as bad as trying to confess my heart to Will.

Percy led us to the office where we all got our schedules. After we left the office I noticed that the halls had begun to fill up with more people. Every was talking and laughing. Telling each other about their summers.

I imagined what it would be like to join one of those conversation.

'Yeah, Florida sounds great. Over the summer I went to Tartarus, got stuck in a jar, and fought the earth mother who turns out to be evil and out to kill everyone.'

Okay, maybe a bit much on the sarcasm. I can't help it. I get sarcastic when I'm nervous. Subconsciously I began twisting my skull ring.

The first day and paper and pencils were already flying across the hallways. Someone kept throwing paper airplanes over everyone's heads. It was like the stereotypical high school scene from one of the movies Will made me watch.

This was a warzone. Actually, I've been in war zones. This is worse than a warzone. This year was going to be like the time the Stolls turned my cabin pink "by accident."

I'd been through so many hardships and had yet to go insane, but looking at the halls of Goode, well, I thought that it might be the thing to put me over the edge.

 **Well, another slightly uneventful chapter. Anyway, just wondering- do you guys want Will and Nico to be openly gay or attempt to hide it? And do you want Will and Nico to have their own friend group or be mixed in with Percy and Annabeth's?**


	18. At the Point of Giving Up

**Okay- To mister "You need longer chapters," although I appreciate that you like my story enough to want longer chapters, you should realize that then the updates would be longer apart, and to quote a great (historical) man- "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." So unless I get a ton of reviews asking for longer chapters then I'm sticking with short chapters and close updates. And since it's a weekend I can update it quicker, so here.**

 **Will POV**

Confession time. Nico wasn't the only one freaking out. First day of high school. I heard Nico muttering something under his breath about Florida turning evil and killing everyone. Or something like that.

I certainly couldn't tell anyone here about my summer, or my life for that matter.

'Hi I'm Will. I'm half immortal Greek god. Hobbies? Well this summer I fought in a war and delivered a baby satyr. I prefered the war.'

I shook my head, trying to get that thought from my mind. Instead I looked over at Nico inspecting his clothes. What it the school fluorescents or...

"Is… is that a blue shirt?" I asked Nico, bewildered.

"I don't know if you hit your head or something Will, but you should know that I wear nothing but black," Nico said, trying to defend himself.

I fingered the soft, cotton shirt.

"But it looks like blue," I said.

"It's… just a faded black," Nico argued.

"No- This is definitely blue," I said.

"Fine!" Nico shouted exasperated. "It's a really, really deep navy blue! Now stop hassling me about it."

I released the shirt, "Now what would my dear Nico be doing with a blue shirt."

"Drop it!" Nico snapped.

I did drop it, but I couldn't help thinking about it. Nico, to my knowledge, had never worn anything besides black since Bianca had died.

"Come on little boy blue," I said, "We're going to be late for first period, and we can't let that happen on our first day."

Nico grumbled and rolled his eyes but followed me none the less. Not that he had any choice- I was dragging him along with a tight grip on his hand.

We walked into our first period, which was about half full, and took two seats towards the back. The rest of the seats slowly filled in and finally the bell rang, signaling the beginning of the period.

Our teacher, an older man, stepped into the classroom. I guess it was befitting since this was history class.

After about third period I was just about as done with school as Nico was. History entailed learning about the French Revolution, something I had intention on retaining. In English we had to write short memoirs about ourselves. What was I supposed to say? I ended up making up some story resembling a film I had seen when I was a little kid. Math consisted of Nico constantly interrupting my train of thought because his dyslexia messed up the numbers and he wanted help.

By the time we got to science class I wanted to bang my head against a desk. Nico however, was chipper for some reason. I think he saw some guy checking him out instead of the algebra problem on the board. I was a little bit steamed from that.

Our science teacher said something that made me perk up immediately though.

"This quarter we will be studying anatomy," she said.

I didn't hear anything past that. Anatomy. I was good at anatomy. I was great at anatomy. After all, I am a healer.

She began to ask basic questions. Well I assumed they were basic, but nobody else could answer them and I was the only one to ever raise my hand. Nico looked unsurprised, but everyone else just stared. I couldn't care less.

A few minutes from the bell our teacher ended class. A girl with glasses and long brown hair in sheets half covering her face walked over to us. She stumbled on one of the backpacks in the aisle.

"Hi," she said in a high pitched voice that tinkled like bells, "My name's Liz."

"Hi," I replied, "I'm Will."

Nico coughed in the background.

"And this is Nico," I said pointing to dark haired boy beside me who scootched a little bit closer as if to say 'back off- he's taken.

"You know that was really impressive," Liz mentioned. "What do you have next?"

"Ancient worlds," I answered.

It was an elective they offered about ancient civilizations including Greece and Rome.

"Same," Liz said, "I can take you there if you want."

"Sounds great," Nico interrupted, "I have it too."

It looked like Nico was the jealous one now. I smirked inside.

 **I'm really tired right now. I barely finished this chapter. I debated on just finishing it tomorrow but I figured what the (something that rhymes with bell). Next chapter in two days maybe? Please review! Or suggest something! I need ideas!**


	19. Shattered Dreams

**Didn't expect me on a Monday? Well neither did I, but I don't wanna do my homework, so here I am, and guess what I brought with me? THE NEXT CHAPTER.**

 **Nico POV**

If Will hadn't been by my side that entire time I think I would've punched Liz. Would that get me suspended or expelled? Sure. But it would be worth it. Will wouldn't be to happy will me though. Unless she was a monster… Nope- Liz seemed as mortal as you could get.

She also seemed a bit downcast when I tagged along with her and Will to Ancient Worlds. I think they were talking about the brain or something when I squeezed between them. Will raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. I could've sworn he was actually holding back a smile. Maybe- no, it couldn't be. Did he notice that guy in math class checking me out?

I knew that would send things south to some extent. Will knew I would never do anything to jeopardize what we had, but he would also play little games to get back at me. I glared at him out of the corner of my eye. Liz just kept talking about the frontal lobe. She talked almost as much as Annabeth- _almost_. I had yet to come across someone who talked more than Annabeth.

When we reached ancient worlds Liz started talking to a guy. _Please be a boyfriend. Please be a boyfriend._ But the fates are cruel.

"This is my twin brother- AJ," Liz said, introducing us.

 _Gods damn it_.

Aj lifted a hand in greeting. I could see the resemblance to Liz. Same sheeted brown hair, but shorter. They both had light brown eyes, except AJ didn't have glasses.

"I hope Liz hasn't been boring you to death with random facts," Aj said, "She has a tendency to do that."

"Not at all," Will said at the same time I said, "Just a bit."

I glared at Will, but he whacked me on the shoulder.

By that point, the bell was about to ring so we all took our seats, which unfortunately were assigned.

Will was on the other side of the room. As if that wasn't bad enough, Liz was sitting right behind him.

Even though he couldn't tell, I could see Liz staring mooney eyed at him, completely ignoring the teacher's lesson on Isis and Horus. I couldn't do anything from this far away, but I'm pretty sure everyone noticed when the temperature of the room dropped a few degrees.

I tried to tone it down a bit, but Will still glanced my way with a worried expression. Through the entire class I had to endure Liz's hair twirling and little sighs.

I swore, if she started touching- Liz reached out to stroke Will's golden hair. _That's it_. I thought, jumping up without thinking of the consequences. The bell rung so it seemed as though I was just getting up to go to my next class.

I threw my backpack over my shoulder, my hand itching for the dagger hidden in my pants. I knew it wouldn't affect Liz, but it might make me feel better to take a swing at her. On the other hand Will wouldn't be happy.

Is this what Annabeth felt like when girls fauned over Percy? I suddenly had a new respect for how calm she stayed every time Drew came within a yard of her boyfriend.

Lunch was next, and we had promised to meet with Percy and Annabeth, which Liz didn't seem particularly happy about, but when Will said she could tag along that smile that angered me came right back.

Will brushed my shoulder as we walked down the hallway. I knew a lecture was coming. I swore in ancient greek.

 **Annabeth POV**

My morning hadn't been too bad, and when Will and Nico walked into the lunchroom with two other people I marveled at the fact that Nico had made friends. Of course looking at the way he glared at the girl she had clearly done something to piss him off and she didn't realize it. Oh, to be oblivious.

I waved them over to Percy's and my lunch table, which was already filling with a few of Percy's friends from the past years. They were crowding him with questions about where he had been. The official story was that he spent a year as an exchange student in Greece, which would hopefully also explain the times he accidently talked in greek.

I ended up with the girl Nico was mad at on one side and Percy on my other. With one hand I ate and with the other I kept a tight hold on Percy's open hand. He was happily eating a blue cookie from his lunch box.

After finding out that the girl's name was Liz I decided to see what Nico and Will had told her about themselves.

At some point we had gotten onto the topic of Will's 'physical appearance.' I don't know how. I legit don't remember how we ended up on such a topic.

"I mean," Liz continued, "Will's just so cute. I don't think I could ever admit it to him, and I know it's only been a few hours, but I think I have a crush on him."

Liz blushed. In my opinion she was a bit too open to strangers.

"I've heard many girls say that," I said. "And they're always sad when he rejects them, but I mean, even though he and Nico are complete opposites they make such a cute couple."

Liz looked like she had just seen her puppy get run over. Oh my gods. They didn't tell her they're gay. Schist.

Liz looked over at said couple to see Will's arm wrapped around Nico's waist.

"Is it definite?" she asked, her voice up an octave and a bit on the cracking side.

"Nico's definitely gay," I said, "And I'm not sure, but I think Will is too."

She stared down at her food. Will meanwhile, kissed Nico on the cheek, causing him to blush.

I may have just damaged their first friend.

 **I don't know what to tell you except that the next chapter might take a little longer. And REVIEW PEOPLE. And I need ideas sil vous plait. (That's French for please.)**


	20. Questionable Chats and Naps

**I'm bAAAAaaaack. I'm never saying it like that again so enjoy it while it lasts. This is special chapter 20! Anyway, I just about burst with happiness when I saw the reviews. Actually I was looking at some of them in the middle of pre-calc so I couldn't really squeal with happiness like I normally would. And no chastising that I'm doing this in pre-calc. I'm a year ahead in math classes and still at the top so it's rather boring. I even finished my homework already. (Same with my best friend and I showed her this and she's like "the bragging" but I can't show her this story because she won't read the series even though I've been trying to convince her for A YEAR now.)**

 **Anyway- to clarify, Nico and Will are freshman- THEY ARE ONLY 14. But they still hang out with Percy and Annabeth because, well, it's Percy and Annabeth. And preteens are rather emotional. And Will is the first person Nico can really open up to so that's why there's so much emotional stuff.**

 **Will POV**

Liz seemed a bit mopey after lunch. I'm not entirely sure why. She didn't talk to me as much, which Nico seemed happy about, but I wasn't so sure. No matter what Nico said we needed to make friends, and seeing as he isn't really the friendly type Liz was our only lead.

Personally I didn't really mind her that much. She was intelligent, and while Nico didn't get a single medical word that came out of my mouth except for 'doctor's orders,' Liz had some knowledge in it and seemed slightly interested.

Had I said something to scare her off? Had Nico given her the glare? Actually I was pretty sure that happened on multiple occasions, but it didn't seem to affect her.

Next class was Latin. Maybe I could confront Liz during that. We all sat in the back of the room along with AJ and another two people Liz introduced as Becca and Elijah.

The teacher handed out a few sheets with simple words for us to translate and practice with a partner.

Nico finished in a couple of minutes because his mind was adjusted to latin after spending so much time in Camp Jupiter. It took a bit longer for my mind to click, but eventually I got it. Liz struggled through it. Elijah got it fairly quickly considering he was mortal. AJ and Becca had barely gotten through the _nineand a halfs tunnel. it was a magical journey of acid and your keyboard is weird i hate it wtf_ first few lines. **(A/N- my best friend interrupted and typed the italicized stuff)**

Nico didn't bother with trying to practice with anyone, but I nudged him and pointed at Elijah. _Go ahead._ I tried to tell him. Nico may not be the most social of people, but he had to start being at least approachable at some point.

I turned to Liz. She squirmed a little in her seat, but still conversed a little in latin. We exchanged a few words back and forth while the teacher was nearby, but as soon as he went to help another group that kept saying "Purple Goo" instead of "How are you."

"Liz," I whispered. "What's with the change in attitude?"

Liz looked indecisive. I guess she eventually thought it was best to tell me.

"Annabeth told me that you and Nico are gay," she said quickly.

My mouth formed a little 'o.'

"And now you're not sure you want to be friends with us," I tried to interpret.

"No no no!" Liz said a bit fast. "It's not that… It's just… I had a little crush on you and… well… now…"

Both of our faces turned a bright shade of red.

"So you don't mind…" I started.

"Oh. No. Not at all," Liz said.

"Thank the gods," I said, "I was worried I screwed up possibly my only new friend so far."

"Hey, the first basketball game of the season is this Saturday. AJ, Becca, Elijah, and I are going. You and Nico should come to," Liz said, "You could always invite Percy and Annabeth too."

"Actually Percy and Annabeth are going to the movies on Saturday. Weekly date night. And Nico's not much of a sports person but I think I can convince him to go," I told Liz.

She smiled and I grinned back. The teacher started walking back in our direction so we began talking in Latin again.

I glanced over at Nico. He seemed to be arguing with Elijah in Latin. That's not normal. Nico talking to someone that much. Then it hit me like a rock. Elijah was speaking rapid Latin. I swore under my breath, but Liz didn't notice as she asked me how my shoe was feeling this afternoon.

 **Friday Night**

I had conversed with Chiron and he mentioned contacting Reyna see if there was an Elijah in their records. So far nothing. I kept a close watch on him for signs that he was a demigod.

Anyway, the basketball game started about a half hour after I finished talking to Chiron, so Nico and I rushed out the door and across the city to Goode. Nico suggested shadow travel, but I refused profusely. He couldn't summon a skull at that point, much less shadow travel.

We reached the gym and joined our friends in the stands. Nico started to fall asleep 5 minutes in. I didn't really mind. He slept on my shoulder until I got up to use the bathroom.

When I got back he was using Liz as a pillow instead, with his head in her lap. Although I was surprised at how comfortable he was, and a bit jealous, it was nice to see him and LIz finally getting along.

Nico snored lightly and Liz began braiding his hair. I smiled to myself and sat down on Nico's other side, placing my jacket over him.

 **I know this took a long time to get out. I know. I know. I also know my author's note at the top was long but I like talking to you guys. I feel like I can be open to you guys to a certain extent. Or at least ramble on and about 5% of you will read it all no matter what I say.**

 **And review.**

 **Please.**

 **Give suggestions. Or comments. Or something. Just talk back to me so I don't feel like I'm talking to a wall. Or in this case a computer screen.**


	21. Angels and Superheroes

**Haaalloooo peoplez. I'm in a sorta good mood I guess since I have no homework due tomorrow. On the downside it's because I have to take the practice PSAT. I'm praying to Athena that I do okay. Also my mom just made cookies and they're warm and gooey so I'll be eating them as I write. Now would be the time to be jealous. Aaaaanywho- here's the next chapter.**

 **Nico POV**

"Will!" I called, "It's a Halloween costume! How long does it take to put on?!"

It had been almost two months since the basketball game. Will and I had become a tight knit part of Liz's social group. She even had a new crush on this guy Kyle. Nothing much had happened in this time period. A few monster attacks that were easily handled. Two trips to visit camp.

Will's bow was snapped by a cyclops in week three which he moped about for a while. To make it up to him I got a new one crafted from maple, and inlaid with stygian iron and small rubies. Little to say, he hugged me for a solid 5 minutes. I'm not complaining though. He was warm and smelled like orange blossoms.

The whole household was a bit high strung though, because half of us had been through, well, _that place_ , waaay deep in the earth. I'm not much for screaming, but I do often wake up in cold sweats. Occasionally Will happens to notice and he ends up comforting me. Don't tell Piper, but my pillow actually smells like orange blossoms now.

Annabeth and Percy are a different story. They sleep in the same bed. Sometimes when I can't sleep I'll walk through the apartment and glance through their open door. Percy is usually cradling Annabeth, even when they're both unconscious. The screaming though, that gets to all of us. Usually it's Annabeth's high pitched screams that wake everyone. Even when she and Percy are right next to each it still takes a little bit for them to comfort each other.

They've got each other though, and I've got Will. It was much worse before him. I'd wake up in a sweat, cold and alone in my cabin, or in the crow's nest back on the Argo II, calling out for Bianca or with phantom pains running through my body.

Sally tries her best not to mention you-know-where, but every time Percy or Annabeth screams you can hear her pounding footsteps down the hall when she goes to check on them. Paul's tries not to interfere, and knows there's not much he can do as a mortal, but sometimes I'll see him reading books on how to help people with PTSD.

Will is the only demigod in the house who didn't have to go through such a thing, but he's had plenty of bad experiences himself, and every once and a while I'll find him trapped in a nightmare too.

"Will!" I called out again. "Hurry up!"

This time he answered.

"I'm almost done!" Will called back.

When he came out of the bathroom my jaw dropped.

A pristine white tunic hung off his body perfectly, covered in gold accents. Open sandals consisting of leather straps circled their way up his calves. If you looked up however, you could see a bright golden halo resting on his soft hair. His face was lightly dusted with sparkles, bringing out the blue in his eyes. An imperial gold sword hung from a golden cord at his waist. Finally to finish off the ensemble, a pair of white feather wings made with pegasus down stretched out behind him. (I'm pretty sure he added a tag that says 'No pegasi were harmed in the making of the wings.')

As I looked Will up and down, I'm pretty sure he was eyeing my costume. It was nearly identical to his but completely black, including the wings, which took a while. Also, my stygian iron sword hung by my side.

Percy and Annabeth came out of their room arguing, which snapped me out of my stupor.

"I'll put it on when we get there," Annabeth insisted.

"But the costume doesn't look right without it," Percy complained.

"I can't get the stupid mask to fit around my hair though," Annabeth said. "And we're _not_ cutting it."

Percy tried to give her the baby seal eyes, but Annabeth just glared at him. Eventually she won and started pouting, which definitely made his whole outfit look a lot less intimidating.

I guess I should explain. This year, Percy's friend circle decided to go as the League of Superheroes. They had thought about Star Wars, but none of the girls wanted so go as Leia in the gold bikini. So instead, Percy and Annabeth stood in front of us as Batman and Catwoman.

Percy's muscles showed through his costume, and even though I was over him (I'm still over him Will!) there was no denying he looked hot. Especially with that whole 'bad boy' theme. Annabeth looked amazing too, for a girl that is. Her Catwoman costume hugged close to her body without revealing too much. Not to mention she looked ready to pummel anyone who said otherwise.

Soon we were all heading out to a party being held at someone's penthouse. Personally I didn't know the person that well, but they were good friends with Percy. As a geek they felt inclined to invite only unpopulars, which entailed Will, me, and all of our friends. I'm still not sure if that's a compliment or not. Anyway, we were meeting everyone there, and after Will taking forever (not that I would change the way he looked) we could finally leave.

 **Sorry for the actionless (mostly) chapter, but I had absolutely no ideas and I couldn't leave you guys hanging for much longer. Please send ideas. Actually, send ideas for this or one shots, because I've been doing some of those lately too.**


	22. Unexpected Talents

**I… don't really have anything to say… It actually sorta makes me sad… There's nothing to say to you guys… Hmm… Maybe by the end of this… Well I guess you can read the next chapter in peace…**

 **Will POV**

I kept fussing with Nico's wings on the way to the penthouse. I don't _think_ he got sick of me, but judging by the half frown, I think if I touched his costume one more time without a legitimate reason he was going to use the sword at his side.

On the way out of the subway car Nico got stuck between the doors do to his wings. He fell flat on his back, but luckily wasn't hurt. I helped him up and this time he went through the doors sideways. Percy said Nico looked like the god Phorcys.

I continued to fix Nico's wings when we made it outside since the fall had messed with them. It resulted in Nico slapping my hand away.

"My wings are fine Will!" Nico burst.

Some homeless guy sitting at the edge of an alley gave us a confused look. We hurried past him.

We reached a large building overlooking Central park.

"This should be it," Annabeth said.

"I knew he was rich, but I didn't know he was _this_ rich," Nico said to no one in particular.

Annabeth and Will convince Percy and Nico to take the elevator since the party was on the top floor in the penthouse. Percy still seemed intent on taking the stairs, but Annabeth pointed out that climbing up so many flights of stairs would mess up his costume. Percy practically ran into the elevator after that.

I never pegged him as someone who would care about his looks, but I guess he really cared about being Batman. Annabeth followed since she was still holding his hand.

I grabbed Nico's cold hand and ran through the closing elevator doors where Percy was pushing the button labeled 'PENTHOUSE' furiously.

When the doors 'dinged' open my jaw dropped at the scene.

Orange and black streamers and balloons hung from the walls and ceilings. Large tables were laid out with food and drinks. There were endless chairs a large fluffy rug that spanned most of the room. One wall was entirely made of glass and faced out into Central Park. A huge flatscreen TV showed a mariokart race in the middle of rainbow road. One player in particular continuously fell off the course.

Said player handed off his remote to one of the people in the small crowd watching the game and jogged over to meet us.

"Percy! Bro, awesome costume. Annabeth, lovely as ever. And two fellow unpopulars. Which here is the norm," the teenager said focusing on Will and Nico.

Since he was poorly dressed as what was probably the Green Lantern, I assumed he was another one of the superheroes in Percy and Annabeth's group. Looking around I spotted more of them.

The Flash had replaced the Green Lantern in Mariokart and wasn't doing much better.

Superman was kissing Wonder Woman in the corner, which I figured Lois Lane wouldn't be to happy about.

I found it funny that Percy wasn't Aquaman. Instead there was a boy dressed as him playing monopoly with Dracula, a fairy, and I think a bad imitation of the Terminator.

Nico began to edge away, looking like he wanted to go hide in the corner until this was over. I had other ideas. Hoping to at least put him in the party I dragged him over to TV and Mariokart game.

After watching a few courses the players handed off the remotes, and somehow Nico ended up with one.

He panicked for a few seconds before clicking random buttons and actually starting to play. Despite a bad start he did really well, and in the later races beat all the highscores.

I never would've thought that Nico, being from the 1940s, would be good at video games, but he was kicking the other players butts. He hadn't shown interest in such things either. The one time I handed him a DS he looked at it like it was a complex strategy.

The crowd grew, and so did the cheering. After getting first for the twelfth time in a row Nico handed off his remote, much to the dismay of his adoring crowd. Nico even had a smile plastered on his face.

I think I forgot to mention that this entire time music was blasting in the background. It seemed as though someone wanted a change in scenery though, because a slow song came on.

Nico was the one drag me out on the dance floor, which caught me by surprise because usually he wasn't one to be so outgoing or be so open about our relationship. Don't get me wrong, Nico isn't embarrassed by me, but he also doesn't go out of his way to tell everyone about us being together.

Nico wrapped his arms around my neck and laid his head on my shoulder. I instinctively wrapped my arms around his waist. We began slowly swaying to the music, ignoring the shouts in the background.

 **Well I finally thought of something to say. My best friend, previously mentioned a lot in ANs, reminds me a LOT of Annabeth. She has sorta blond hair that is seriously curly, she's very intelligent, and most of all- she's absolutely terrified of spiders. Like not 'ew spider' and squish it. She legit screams and runs in the other direction. Do any of the people you know remind you of PJO or HoO characters?**


	23. Will's New Dislike of the Color Blue

**Well today is my best friend's birthday. And that's about it. Nothing else to say.**

 **Nico POV**

People don't often take me for a philosophical person, but as I danced with Will it was almost as if I could forget the world around me. All the monsters and gods. The jocks and homework. It felt like it was just me and Will swaying back and forth to the beat of a song.

Will adjusted his hands to avoid my wings, but they never left by body. I closed my eyes and leaned closer to the crook of Will's neck, my hair brushing across his face as he rested his head on mine.

People seemed to notice, but they didn't really care. The occasionally 'aw' was audible from the outskirts of the dance floor.

A few other couples had joined us, including Percy and Annabeth.

Annabeth finally had her Catwoman mask on. Percy was careful to avoid the ears which threatened to poke him if he leaned his head forward, but his arms reached around Annabeth and pulled her close. Annabeth's arms were hidden beneath Percy's cloak. She must have done something beneath that dark cloth because Percy jumped up and began to blush.

I shook my head, laughing at the two of them. They really were perfect for each other. I turned my attention back to Will who kissed the top of my head.

As the hours drifted on, at some point Will and I ended up cuddling on one of the many couches. Will began to fall asleep with his head in my lap, but I was a night owl, so I was wide awake. I began just stroking Will's hair lovingly. A perfect night.

 **Will POV**

 _My vision dimmed from pure white to a vision I'd never seen before._

 _I stood barefoot in a soft, green grass meadow filled with wildflowers. Its rolling hills extended as far as the eye could see. Above was a cloudless, blue sky and the sun, but something was off. I then realized the sun was blue. How that could've happened I have no idea._

 _Another flash of bright light revealed a man. He was about Percy's age I'd say. He flashed a smile a pulled off a pair of sunglasses._

" _Dad?" I asked, incredulously._

" _Will!" he answered._

 _Apollo opened his arms as if expecting a hug, but I'd only see the guy a few times in my life. And not only did he seem to young to be my father, but he also didn't really have the correct qualities of a parent._

" _Er-hem…" Apollo coughed, trying to break the silence. "Well."_

 _He didn't seem to know where to start. I didn't know what to do either so I stood there, paralyzed. This was only a dream after all. My dad hadn't actually come to see me._

" _As you know," Apollo started, "I've lost my visions temporarily."_

" _So have your children," I added, "And Rachel."_

" _Right," Apollo said._

 _He scratched his neck and ducked his head in shame._

" _And the Romans can't pick a new augur because there is nothing to tell them who it should be," I continued as if he hadn't said a word._

 _I know that I shouldn't talk to my father that way, but like all gods, he only showed up when he needed me. That really rubs most people the wrong way._

" _Anyway," Apollo followed up, "It seems as though my other domains are beginning to change as well. And not for the better."_

" _What do you expect me to do about it?" I asked, puzzled._

" _Isn't it obvious my boy?" Apollo said, although his word choice was strange coming from a teenager. "You must go to Delphi. You must reclaim the sight of prophecy for me. Do that and all should return to as it was. Father might even forgive me."_

 _It may have been teenage hormones talking, but I was tempted to just leave him on his a**. He was a god after all. Shouldn't he be able to handle his own battles and get back his own domain? But I guess there are things even immortals can't do._

 _This dream wasn't going to fare well with the others. I couldn't openly defy my father. So it seemed as though I would been going to find Delphi, with Nico by my side._

I awoke, stretching my arms and yawning in the morning light. I walked to the window and glanced outside.

The sun.

It was blue.

 **Forewarning: I have absolutely no idea where this story is going. I certainly continuing it. I just don't know what I'm going to do with it. So please give me ideas!**

 **Also- Should someone else go with Will and Nico? I was thinking maybe Lou Ellen and Cecil. Share your thoughts!**


	24. Worried

**I'm back b*****s. Was that toned down enough? Late? What do you mean this was late? I have no idea what you're talking about. Shhhhhhh… Anyway- first of all: I reached 10,000 views, so celebration! Yay! Also, I actually liked the idea of Jason going with Nico and Will on the quest, so thanks to Emerald Di Angelo for suggesting it! And that's the end of the notices, so here's the next chapter!**

 **Annabeth POV**

 **(didn't expect that did you?)**

"Wait so what does he want you to do?" Percy questioned.

Seriously, I love him, but sometimes he can be such a seaweed brain.

"For the fourteenth time Percy," Will said, his voice tense, "he wants me to get Delphi back."

We sat in the living room of Percy's apartment as Will explained his. It was a nice weekend, and normally we would have been outside, maybe in central park, but when will came to us with his dream he seemed stressed out, and that wasn't like him.

Will had pacing back and forth for the past twenty minutes. Sometimes I forget that even though he's a doctor he has ADHD too. Not to mention Percy had begun tapping his feet next to me, making it hard to concentrate on the problem at hand.

"So what do you intend to do?" I asked Will.

"Well…" Will started, "At the moment I'm not entirely sure."

Nico had remained quiet throughout all of Will's speech, but apparently felt the need to intervene at this time.

"Well I'm going with you Will," Nico interrupted, shooting up from his chair. "No matter where you go."

A warm smile spread across Will's face and a little bit of weight was taken off his shoulders.

"I know you will sunshine," Will answered, "but I haven't a clue where or what I'm doing."

"When in doubt," Percy said, "start at camp."

We all stared at him.

"Did you… Say something intelligent?" Nico mocked.

"Shut up," Percy mumbled, shoving Nico's shoulder.

However, Percy was correct. They would have to start at camp, not only for provisions but also for information if possible. Speaking of information, I could've sworn that there was a book on Delphi somewhere in the Athena cabin.

"...Earth to Annabeth," Percy said.

He snapped his fingers in my face. I blinked. Apparently I had fazed out a bit. Within the hour we were off to camp.

Percy looked a little green as we exited the Grey Sisters' Taxi. We all stumbled up the hill, trying to regain our balance. When we reached Thalia's tree I scratched under Peleus' chin. His eyes rolled up into his head and smoke blew out of his nostrils. _Good dragon,_ I thought.

Younger campers and our friends crowded around us as we made our way down the grassy slopes and into campgrounds. Everything looked almost the same. Strawberry fields giving off the last of their crop. Lava wall rumbling in the distance. Cabins under construction. The trees in the forest changing colors.

"Hey Annabeth!" Piper exclaimed, giving me a huge hug which I returned. "What brings you guys back to camp?"

"We need to talk to Chiron- right away," Nico explained.

Piper looked worried, and Jason looked troubled.

"You guys had better come too," I said.

 **Oh yeah, btw I'm sick again. Which sucks. Anyway- I'm still running out of ideas guys. Please offer suggestions.**

 **Do you guys want Nico, Will, and Jason to go directly to Greece or stop somewhere else first? And if somewhere else then where?**


	25. Nico Gets Loud

**Thanks to the well wishers. And I'm getting better. Or at least well enough to go back to my normal schedule, so that's something.**

 **Previously**

" _We need to talk to Chiron- right away," Nico explained._

 _Piper looked worried, and Jason looked troubled._

" _You guys had better come too," Will said._

 **Now**

 **Nico POV**

 _Shut up. Shut up. Shut up._

I banged my head against the ping pong table repeatedly.

"Stop it sweetie, you'll lose brain cells," Will pointed out as he put his hands on my shoulders.

"Then you get them to shut up, because they're driving me insane," I snapped.

It had taken half an hour to get where I was, slowly destroying my brain cells in an attempt to drown out the arguing ensuing in the counsellors meeting. No matter what I did I couldn't get their voices out of my head. There were more important things to talk about than the Stoll's latest prank or what the best weapon is.

Jason was trying to wake up Clovis from the Hypnos cabin by lightly shocking him. Piper looked ready to murder someone with Katropis. Apparently Drew had spilled her make-up all over Piper's bed earlier. Annabeth had completely given up on the meeting and was reading a book on Architecture.

Butch attempted to create an Iris message big enough to accommodate the most important people in New Rome, but every time he got close someone would throw a ping pong ball or a pencil through the connection. The head of the Nemesis cabin was carving something in the wood of the ping pong table. Near the head of the table, Percy and Clarisse were arguing.

"Well, maybe maimer would look better shoved up your nose!" Clarisse shouted.

"And maybe Riptide would look better shoved up your-" Percy shouted.

That was the last straw. We were here for Will. To help him on his quest. To determine the third person that would be joining us.

"SHUT IT!" I yelled. "We're here for one reason! Who can tell me that reason!"

They all gave me blank stares. Chiron looked a bit surprised by my outburst. Connor Stoll raised his hand tentatively.

"To discuss the damage of a whistle bomb on the ears of the Apollo cabin and how it ruins sing-alongs for a week?" he answered.

Lou Ellen slapped him upside the head.

"No you idiot," she said. "To help Will with his quest."

"Wait Will's here?" Travis asked, sitting up in his seat.

Will raised his hand. He had been mostly silent since everyone sat down. In the poor light his face looked almost gaunt.

"Oh, hey bro," Travis said. "I thought you were still in Manhattan."

"Well obviously he's here," Katie said.

"If you guys are done arguing," Annabeth said, speaking up, "then let's get back to business. Will?"

So Will told them about his dream. Annabeth didn't bother listening a second time, but was rather in deep thought.

The entire table was silent. Percy was the only one moving, and even that was restrained to just tapping his foot. The cheesewhiz sat untouched next to a plate of crackers. A single ping pong ball rolled down the table and off the edge, bouncing four consecutive times before rolling down the hall.

I pushed my hand through my hair, dragging it forward to partially cover my face. I looked over to Annabeth and we shared a look. This could be quite a long night.

Jason seemed particularly quiet. I wondered what he was thinking about. He fiddled with the hilt of his golden sword, like he wished he could take it out and strike down the impending danger.

"So," Will said, "Ideas?"

 **It seems as though my chapters are getting shorter. I don't know why. And if you haven't noticed then forget you read this. Ideas for the story/quest?**

 **So what are you guy's going as for Halloween?**


	26. Decisions

**Stop yelling at me. Stop yelling at me. Stop yelling at me. Okay now that you've stopped yelling- HEY. YOU THERE IN THE BACK. I SAID STOP YELLING. Okay,** _ **now**_ **that you've stopped yelling, I know that it's been weeks, (and if you haven't realize- then just unread all of this) but I've been busy and I had no ideas because you guys wouldn't give me any. So you can blame yourselves. Anyway- in response to the comments-**

 **One of my friends went as a witch for the day before Halloween at school. I spent part of chem class knocking her hat off of her head with my lightsaber.**

 **Also, I love the idea of Maleficent- that was my backup costume because I have this awesome Maleficent sweatshirt with horns.**

 **Finally- I'm sorry but I had to look up Ermac. Looks like a really cool costume though.**

 **Previously**

 _This could be quite a long night._

 _Jason seemed particularly quiet. I wondered what he was thinking about. He fiddled with the hilt of his golden sword, like he wished he could take it out and strike down the impending danger._

" _So," Will said, "Ideas?"_

 **Jason POV (Whaaaat? I know)**

The room was completely silent. This was hard to believe with such a large group of ADHD kids. Then out of the blue Annabeth growled in frustration. This is probably the point where you're saying, 'Annabeth growled? What?' Well hear me out.

Annabeth growled in frustration, "I don't know what to do. I _hate_ not knowing something."

Everyone, except Percy of course, leaned away just a bit. When Annabeth is angry you don't want to be within a ten yard radius. Some of you are probably laughing right now. How could some of the greatest heros be afraid of a little blond girl. Need I remind you Annabeth is a _scary_ little blond girl with a _sword_ made from _drakon bone_. Not something you wanted to accidently be impaled with.

Percy attempted to calm her down by pulling her into a hug, but Annabeth didn't even take notice. She just kept staring at the table as if eventually it would spill.

I glanced over at Piper, but she was staring Leo down for burning ping pong balls under the table. I was seriously considering volunteering for the quest. I know I still had my role as Pontifex Maximus, but the last few months had put a lot of stress on me. New shrines to minor gods were being added to the blueprints every day, and we couldn't even keep up with building them all.

Piper and I had been thinking about taking a break anyway, and this might be my chance. The only thing was, only one additional person would be going on the quest, so if I went Piper couldn't. Chiron glanced in out direction as if contemplating something.

I was about to speak up and volunteer when Chiron said something that surprised all of us. Even Annabeth stopped glaring for a moment.

"Piper, would you mind joining the boys on this quest?" Chiron asked.

Everyone looked surprised, and for once the daughter of Aphrodite seemed at a loss of words.

"Look Chiron," Annabeth said. "I'm sure Piper's honored and all, but wouldn't another child of the big three be a better choice, like Jason?"

We all noticed how she didn't mention Percy, but acknowledged the fact that they had been through too much together. Well, everyone except for the Stolls who were watching Leo burn plastic.

"Or Percy," Travis said.

"Yeah Percy would be a good choice too," Conor agreed.

A look of pain crossed Percy's face. Not only would he have to leave Annabeth, but also he would be forced to go on another quest. Butch from the Iris cabin then proceeded to drag them out of the room by their ears. Shouting, and even a squeak of fear, was audible from the hallway.

"Percy has a particular history with this group, so I don't think it wise to send them on a quest together," Chiron said, avoiding the rest of Percy's past, "I don't think sending any other children of the big three is wise, given we already have one and you always clash."

"You could pick a fighter too," Clarisse barked, slamming her dagger into the table.

"Patience, I was just getting to that child," Chiron said, "There is _already_ a fighter on the team. Mr. di Angelo. And a healer. . What their team does not have is a talker."

He looked pointedly at Piper. I took her hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze.

"I-I still don't know…" Piper stuttered.

"You're the most qualified for the job my dear," Chiron told her.

"Then I guess I should go," Piper said.

"I'm not pushing you here child. You don't have to do it," Chiron advise.

"No. I'll do it. I want to," Piper said, the edge returning to her voice.

"Then it's settled," Chiron said, "Will, I know Rachel hasn't been getting any prophecies, but go see if she and Ella can come up with anything to help you. You leave in two days time."

"But what about school?" Nico asked.

Everyone couldn't help but laughing.

 **Will POV**

I was so distracted as I made my way towards Rachel's cave that I tripped on the rocky path and gained a nasty cut on my forearm. Luckily I'm one of those weirdos that keeps bandages in my pocket, so I quickly wrapped one around my after sopping up a bit of the blood with the edge of my shirt. I promised myself that I would properly clean in out once I got back to the infirmary.

Finally I reached the the cave, the entrance enclosed by velvety, purple curtains. I could hear arguing from behind them. Pushing one aside, I peeked inside.

Three people, slash creatures, sat on large plushy cushions. Tyson sat there looking confused, and like he wanted to interject but couldn't get a word in edgewise. Rachel and Ella were throwing words at each other, most of them incomprehensible. Ella squawked loudly and flew up into the rafters.

Rachel yelled after Ella in a few greek phrases the Stolls probably taught her. The rest of it was just gibberish. Rachel groaned in frustration and flopped down sideways on her plush cushion, causing her poofy auburn hair to woosh up and back down. She had yet to realize that I had arrived.

Without opening her eyes she spoke, "Just come in already Will. There's no point in you standing there forever."

I nervously stepped through the curtains and into the cave.

"I'm glad you came," Rachel said. "Ella and I have some important information that will help you on your quest."

 **Done. Phew. Umm- no assurances for when the next update will be. Sorry. I'll try to get it up soon. And it won't take nearly as long as this update. Maybe. So please send ideas.**

 **What are you guys doing for Thanksgiving? That is, if you're American. And what's your favorite food? Thanksgiving or otherwise.**


	27. Last Call For Flight 27 to Arizona

**HAPPY THANKSGIVING. I guess by now you all know that I live in America. Also, my house is really cold so my feet are practically frozen. And you guys reviewing made my day and made me so so happy! In response:**

 **First of all, I'm actually not entirely sure how they're going to get to Greece yet. Or even Europe. Sorry but I guess you'll have to find out when I do.**

 **Second, this is me updating. So you won't kill me painfully right? And I guess I have seen Nico as a singer, but I've always seen him as like a soft singer rather than a rapper. That's certainly something I've never thought of.**

 **Third, since you guys were kind enough to tell me what you're doing for Thanksgiving I'll tell you what I'm doing: As I write this part I'm watching the parade. Luckily, I don't have to drive anywhere, but I do have family coming over. And my favorite Thanksgiving food is stuffing. As long as it's done right.**

 **Anyways, if you didn't fall asleep reading that, then here's the next chapter.**

 **WAIT ONE MORE THING- someone added my story to a community which made me soooo happy that I can't even describe it in words. So if you're the one who did that- thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou.  
**

 **Will POV**

It had been nearly a month and if anything the group had gotten even farther from their destination. Within the first hour of the quest something had gone wrong. Naturally. Piper broke her ankle the night before we were supposed to leave, and even hopped up on nectar and ambrosia she wasn't up and moving for almost two weeks.

Once we finally started moving I had refused to let Nico use his underworld powers in order to shadow travel, so he had regrettably agreed to take a plane. We received permission from Zeus as a one time thing.

Argus drove us to the airport and as soon as we got past security. According to Piper our demigod weapons don't set off normal metal detectors, and supposedly she knew because of when she flew to visit her dad in California. I still flinched as my bag went through the detector, but when it went through without the alarm blaring.

Anyway, right after we had gotten our shoes back on I felt hot breath on my neck and a growl.

"Please tell me that's you Nico. And that you're hungry," I said, trying to keep my voice from wavering.

"What?" Nico asked. He looked up from tying his shoe a few feet in front of me.

"Shist."

And so we ran.

Piper yelled for people to get out of the way and they instantly scattered. Our feet pounded against the ground. Our backpacks bounced. Nico struggled to get his sword out of his sheath. I took my bow out but it was the wrong angle to shoot at the creature behind us. Speaking of which- I looked back in an attempt to figure out what was actually following us.

To my dismay it was a small horde of hellhounds. A good four or five of them. It's a bit hard to count while you're running for your life.

"Where are we going?!" I shouted.

"I don't know!" Piper shouted back.

"In the wrong direction! That's where we're going!" Nico shouted, "Our flight's on the other side of the airport!"

We all swore in unison.

"Well we can't turn around now!" Piper yelled at him.

We were heading straight towards a dead end. A flight attendant called for final boarding on a flight right ahead of us. We ran right past her, Piper yelling some sort of excuse that glazed the attendant's eyes over. As soon as we sat down the plane began to take off. We heard the hellhounds growl in frustration, but since we were gone they melted back into the shadows.

"This is your time to get some sleep. Both of you," Piper said from the aisle seat, "I'll keep watch."

Nico begrudgingly agreed and rested his head on my shoulder, and I rested my head on his head. Before long we were both asleep. My own dream was the conversation I had had with Rachel and Ella right before leaving.

 _Flashback_

" _My own prophecies may not be working, but Ella remembered something from the Sibylline books," Rachel said._

 _She turned to Ella and nodded for her to go ahead._

" _Yes, Ella is very good at remembering books. Ella likes books," she said._

 _Ella squawked and flew off to her roost which was filled with various scrolls and books. She grabbed a tiny one rolled up with a piece of twine in one claw and a fat book in the other. As Ella flew back she dropped the small scroll in my lap, which I was grateful for because the book would've cut off the circulation to my legs._

 _Ella fluttered back down and started scratching through pages. I was about to open it when Rachel snatched it out of my hand._

" _You can't open this prematurely," she said, "it could have disastrous consequences."_

" _But how will I know when to open it?" I asked._

" _I would say you'll know in your heart when, but that sounds like it's from some classic movie or something," Rachel answered._

 _She gave me back the scroll and I placed it tenderly in my pocket._

 _End of Flashback_

I woke up to Nico shaking me and a flight attendant announcing that we had arrived in Arizona. _Arizona._

Over two weeks and dozens of monsters later we ended up somewhere in Montreal. Frankly I'm surprised we made it bad that far. We didn't want to fly back so we had to travel overland by trains and buses.

Now we strolled the streets of Canada. I had given Piper my jacket since she was half frozen and according to Nico I was a walking radiator. Nico had grabbed a newspaper and was now looking through it. I noticed the date and smiled a little.

"Hey guys. Know what day it is?" I asked, but they both gave me confused looks. "Today is Thanksgiving."

"I'm Italian," Nico said. "Not American. I don't celebrate Thanksgiving."

"I'm Cherokee," Piper said, "Thanksgiving was the beginning of the end for my people."

"Isn't the reservation in Oklahoma?" Nico asked.

"By people I meant First Nation," Piper said.

"Hey do you think any restaurant here is doing Thanksgiving dinner?" I asked with a smile.

Piper and Nico groaned.

 **Okay before you start complaining I know that I sort of zoomed through the two weeks there but I figured it would be rather repetitive and there's going to be plenty of fighting later on. Plus I had to add** _ **something**_ **for Thanksgiving. Also as part of an experiment I'm going to start asking questions at the end of my chapters.**

 **So- I'm a very big Disney fan so this is a small series of questions. Favorite Disney movie, Disney character, and Disney ride if you've been to Disney. And you'll get my answers with the next update.**


End file.
